Deconstruction
by kirikarin
Summary: Tonks is sent to investigate the mysterious disappearance of Percy Weasley after his abrupt departure from the Ministry of Magic. Nothing is what it seems. The deeper Tonks goes, the more sinster and complex Percy's life appears.
1. In the Mad House

Deconstruction

Chapter One: In the Mad House

_Tap. Tap. Tap._ The sound of incessant noise filled his ears. Clamping his hands against his ears, he started to bang his head against one of the walls. Lucky for him, it was soft and insulated with rubber. His bare foot kicked against it as he tried to make the noise stop. It almost sounded like drops of water falling in a metal sink.

In his more lucid moments, he could process what was happening to him. This was the only time when he didn't feel like he was crawling out of his skin and the noise was at a bearable level. The lights would dim and he was able to see better, even if it was still a bit blurry. It was his own personal hell, not knowing where he was and why he was there. Sadly, it was of his making.

It was them. They were saying that he was crazy. He spoke of things that they claimed was impossible. He told them about how a world, no a society, separate from theirs. A world where magic existed outside of fairy tales, but in many ways wasn't too different from theirs. Men were wizards and women were witches. Pictures moved rather than capture a singular moment in time. Electricity was unusable, leaving all the modern marvels of their world lost to that society. It was the makings of a fantasy novel.

"Make it stop," he muttered to himself. "Make it stop." His voice was hoarse, if he wasn't talking in whispers he was yelling at the top of his lungs. It was then that he heard the sound of footsteps. They were deliberate without pausing. It came in fours. First for the toes, then the heels. Repeated again for the other foot. A woman was coming. He could tell from the sound the shoes made. He stopped muttering to himself when he heard the sound of the little window on his door slid open. "What do you want?" he demanded in a loud voice. "What do you want from me!"

A soft gentle voice responded, "My name is Dr. Guinevere White." Her voice was distinctly American. "I just started here today. I'm doing my residency in clinical psychology. I'm a student at Oxford. Do you mind if I spoke with you?"

"Mind? Do I mind being branded as a bloody experiment for the likes of you?" he scoffed. "I don't need you to tell me what I have and what I don't have. What I believe and what I shouldn't believe in."

"What if I told you that I could help you get out of here?" offered Dr. White.

He withdrew his hands from his ears. It was the first time that Dr. White noticed how young he was. He had soft features that surrounded his harsh, sad blue eyes. His red hair was cropped short by the staff. His body was almost gaunt from eating very little, yet he retained some muscle definition. He was clad in a light white t-shirt with a pair of khaki pants. His feet were bare and somewhat callused along the edge of his heels. Despite all this, Dr. White could tell how beautiful he was. Her heart skipped a beat as he turned to face her. He had fine stubble on his chin and upper lip.

"You can't get me out of here," he whispered harshly. "Only I can get me out of here."

"You aren't in the position to do that," countered Dr. White cautiously. "Do you know why you're even here?"

"They say I'm mad. I see illusions," he spat. He saw the folder she had in her hands. "What do you have on me?"

"Nothing much. Not even your name," admitted the young psychologist. "There doesn't seem to be any public record of you."

He laughed. At first he sounded like he was choking. "Of course there isn't any public record of me. Not in this world anyway."

"What world are you talking about?"

"Can't you read that in your little file? Or did you ask one of the other white coats walking around this hellhole?"

"I'd like to hear from you directly. If you agree to it, we can talk all about it."

"What is it that you're hoping to find out?"

"I don't know."

He walked to his little cot and plopped down on it. "I refuse to be your little experiment. Come again when you've got a better reason for talking to me. I may have nothing but time. I'll still decide who I'll spend it with." He turned his body away from her and that was it. She sighed and slid the window closed. She stared at the door for a good minute before deciding to take her leave.

Dr. White walked back to her office. It was the neatest office in the whole hospital, if one was so inclined to call it that, but normally people called it a mental institution. She sank into her chair gazing at all the unopened boxes with all of her books and other important papers inside. A tall dark haired man tapped at her doorway because she had left the door opened. She looked up at him. "McCoy, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"I heard you went to talk to the Wizard," he replied. "Did you get anything out of him?"

"No, I didn't. What did you people do to him before?" asked Dr. White as she glanced up at Dr. McCoy.

"We didn't mistreat him if that's what you're talking about. We tried to medicate him before, but he refused. He kept saying that he wasn't going to take any of our bloody potions," answered Dr. McCoy as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Why are you so interested in him? I thought you studied depression."

"I don't think his schizophrenic," stated Dr. White as she got to her feet. She was referring to the file on her desk. "I was looking at his file. He doesn't have any of the biological data to support that. I don't blame him, if he doesn't want to take the drugs. And he doesn't appear to be a danger to anyone."

"He's a danger to himself," argued the other psychologist. "No one can crack him. He keeps going on about wizards and magic like they're real."

Gwen, which was the name she preferred to be called by, leafed through the file on the anonymous patient and saw some of his sketches from the art therapy sessions. They were pictures of a large castle and it was labeled "Hogwarts – School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." He drew realism sketches of people. One was a man with a long white beard wearing glasses and a tall pointed hat, "Dumbledore, Headmaster." Another was a boy wearing glasses with a scar in the shape of a lightening bolt on his forehead. It was simply entitled, "The Boy Who Lived." There were several pictures of strange objects from a ball with wings attached, to people on broomsticks. The art therapist kept the pictures that the patient had tried to destroy. They were wrinkled and partial ripped. One of them was a skull with a snake. It was done in green pencil, distinguishing itself completely from the others. It was the last picture in the pile that called most of Gwen's attention.

The picture was of a family. It was draw by the same person. There were pyramids in the background. It was a family of nine. Or eight. It was difficult to tell because he had erased a spot of the paper so hard that there was a hole in it. The hole was on the edge of the paper. What he couldn't eraser, he tore off. That piece had gone astray since that art session. However, the rest of it the picture was intact. It was mostly males ranging in ages. There were two females in the picture a mother and a daughter. "He's a member of someone's family. They must be looking for him," she whispered.

"We all thought of that already. There were no responses. No one knows who he is. I don't think he even knows who he is. Look, I know that you're out to prove yourself, Dr. White. You wouldn't have been selected if it wasn't for your fine research on depression," said Dr. McCoy. "The point is to finish your time here with as little problems as necessary and not go for such hard luck cases such as this one. Believe me; I don't think he's going to make the best case study."

Her posture stiffened at his words. The pompous blowhard hadn't listened to a word she had said. "I refuse to believe that he's beyond help. There's something wrong with him and no one here seems to have listened to him."

"Didn't you see the scars on his arms?"

"Yes, they look like past suicide attempts. That's what I'm talking about, McCoy. So, this is my area."

"No. That's not what I meant. I mean yes, they were obviously self inflected, but..." he trailed off for a moment, "do whatever you want, Gwen. I just wanted you to make it easier on yourself. But let me warn you about something."

"Don't get my hopes up?"

Dr. McCoy shook his head. "No. Don't think too highly of yourself. Remember, we're all human here. Sometimes you just can't save them. No matter how hard you try."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you," said Dr. White as she nodded at the door. Dr. McCoy sighed and retreated from her office. She sighed as she read more in the file of the man that the others have come to call the Wizard.

* * *

"It's getting more and more nippy outside," announced Tonks as she walked into Aurors Headquarters. She made a beeline for her cubicle. Kingsley was at his desk reading the morning paper. Tonks could see the headline from where she was standing, "I guess we're going to see some changes around here, aren't we?" 

"I can't believe that they just arrested him like that," agreed Kingsley as he put down his paper. The walls of his cubicle were bare now. He had taken down all of the clipping, maps, and pictures of Sirius Black. The blankness did nothing to comfort Tonks who could barely bring herself to look at the walls. "I knew something was going to happen, but not like that."

"It's been months now. Three months. And things are getting quiet again," pointed out Tonks as she sipped the tea on her desk. "It's more unbelievable who made it all happen in the first place. I didn't think Percy Weasley had it in him."

"Fudge certainly didn't see it coming," said Kingsley. He would have said more, but Arthur Weasley had walked in. He looked absolutely ragged as he approached Kingsley's desk. It seemed as if Arthur had aged since Kingsley had seen him last. "Arthur, it's been a while since I've seen you. How are you doing?"

"Not too well," replied Arthur without any preamble or social nicety. "Have you heard anything about Percy since the day that Fudge was arrested?"

"No," replied Kingsley with some concern. "I don't think anyone's seen him since then. Tonks, weren't you here when Fudge was arrested?" He turned to her, surprising her. She almost choked on her tea.

She sputtered and wiped her lips. As soon as she was composed she said, "Yes, I was. It was the strangest thing I've ever seen. It was almost funny, but there was something almost sadistic about it."

"What?" asked Kingsley as Arthur mirrored the same expression.

"I suppose I should start from the beginning," said Tonks with a sigh. "I came in early that morning to check up on a couple of things after what happened during the summer." She got to her feet and walked over to Kingsley's cubicle. "He handed in his resignation as Fudge was being arrested. I'll never forget the look on Fudge's face. He was shocked and Percy just walked away from him. Fudge kept calling him, but the only time Percy turned back around was in the lift. He stared at him as he pushed the buttons to close the door."

"Did he say anything?" asked Arthur.

"Nothing really. But he did whisper something into Fudge's ear. I didn't hear it though," answered Tonks. "No one's heard from him since then. I don't think anyone's seen him either. Why are you looking for him?"

"Dumbledore wants to see him," replied Arthur.

"Oh," said Tonks. "I guess we'll have to find out where he's gone. Do you want me to go and look for him?"

"I don't know," muttered Arthur as he sighed. "Yes, I think you should go and look for him. We should know where he is. I still don't understand why Percy decided to turn in Fudge the way he did."

"I'll start the search immediately," promised Tonks as she went back to her cubicle. Her hair was currently long and brown, so were her eyes. Naturally, she had her father's coloring rather than her mother's, which matched Sirius'. Of late, she preferred not to use her Metamorphmagus abilities. It had something to do with the death of Sirius Black. Life wasn't a game anymore.

She went back to her desk. "I don't know where to look first." She turned back to Arthur. "Where should I start?"

"I have no idea," admitted Arthur. "I suppose you could start at his flat, but I don't know where he moved to after he left the Burrow."

"I'll go through his personnel file then. It's a place to start." Tonks polished off the rest of her tea and rose from her desk again. "I'll be in the personnel office looking for his file. Don't worry, Arthur. I'm sure that I'll find him soon."

* * *

He could hear the sound of her approaching his cell again. He knew that she wouldn't leave well enough alone, but he was prepared to turn her down again. When she slid the window open, he didn't bother to sit up or move for that matter. Dr. White greeted him, "I'm sorry about the way our last conversation turned out. I shouldn't say I'd make you an offer without saying what it was." 

"So, what can you offer me?"

"A chance at freedom from here. I don't think you're crazy."

"Maybe, you're crazy for thinking I'm not crazy."

Dr. White studied him. The records show that he was a genius. Given half a chance, he could easily manipulate any environment he was introduced to. He was also an artist, judging by the drawings from the art therapy sessions. However, Dr. White wasn't to be underestimated. She was a genius, too.

The young psychologist had graduated from high school at the age of fifteen and went on to Stanford University, her father's alma mater. Dr. White graduated in three years and decided to follow in her father's footsteps and become a clinical psychologist. It took on two years to get to get to this point in her life. All of this was a result of her not having a life at all. Her work and study had been the center of her life. There was no time for friends or relationships with other humans. She kept her distance from her father and his new family. At that very moment, the only person who mattered to her was the gaunt, young man in his cell.

His back was to her as she continued to talk. "What if I told you that I believed you?" she countered. "What if I said that I believed everything you said about the wizards and their world?"

"I'd say that I don't believe you," he muttered. He turned his body suddenly and threw his arm over his head as he stared up at the ceiling.

"Look, I know that you don't trust anyone, especially after the way they treated you. But, I need you to trust me. If you can do that, then we can work together and get you out of here." Dr. White added in a whisper, "What can I do to prove that you can trust me?"

"I don't know."

He didn't say anything as he heard the sound of metal keys. He only moved when he heard her unlock the door of his cell. She slid the bar over and slowly opened the door. She took a deep breath as she opened the door and walked inside the cell. She closed the door behind her. What she had just done violated the protocol of the hospital. Normally, patients were escorted out of their cells by orderlies. She was breathing hard from fear, almost shaking as she stepped away from the door. The keys were still in her left hand as she asked, "Proof enough for you?"

He sat up, faced her, and leaned against the wall. He pulled one of his legs up on the cot, leaving the other touching the floor. "What do you want to know?" he simply asked. "What do you want to know about me?"

"Anything, you're willing to tell me," replied the young doctor. "I'm listening." He tipped his head back and looked up at the ceiling. "We can do these sessions anywhere you wish."

"Then get me the Hell out of this cell," he whispered hoarsely. She nodded as she stepped back from him and opened the door. She let herself out and slammed the door behind her. Quickly, she slid the bar across and locked the door. Alarmed at her audacity, she marched off to her office and she could still feel the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. She felt a chill go through her because for a one fleeting moment she had actually stared straight into his cold eyes. There was untold madness in them. Or even worse, he could actually be perfectly normal. Either way, Dr. White was sick to her stomach.

In her office, Dr. White began her plan of attack. She had to make sure that she could get through the sessions without allowing him to control her. He already had some control over because she was afraid of him. There was something about him that scared her. Perhaps, it was because she couldn't completely claim to understand him. Even in the brief meetings that they had, she still couldn't claim to even begin to know what he was really thinking. There truly was a thin line between madness and brilliance.

* * *

AN: This fic is a fic to make up for the fact that I don't know how to finish Veritas because of all the new information that came out from Rowling's site. I couldn't finish Veritas because of the facts about the Weasley family that came to light. Namely, the name of Molly's family is in the site under extras. 

I decided to retract a little bit and stick close to canon. I wanted to write a story that could be placed in between the Order of Phoenix and the yet to be released Half-Blood Prince. The story will only have a couple of original characters with only one of them fully developed, while others will be more developed. I'll be using characters from the canon and developing them as I see fit. There will be very few characters and it will be more character driven than plot driven.

kirikarin. livejournal. com

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. This story belongs to me and cannot be posted anywhere else without my permission. 


	2. The Wild Card

Deconstruction

Chapter Two: The Wild Card

The air was cool as a light breeze whispered over her skin. It was early still just before sunrise. Her clothes felt light against her skin as she warmed her hands against her cup of morning coffee. Starbucks clones were everywhere these days and not too far from the hospital. She contemplated her plan of action against him. She had reread the file on him over and over again. It was the pictures she paid the most attention to. Nothing could prepare her for the world she was about to enter.

After finishing her cup of coffee, she got into her car and drove to the hospital. When she arrived at her office, she put on her white coat. She grabbed a fresh pad of paper and some pens along with a tape recorder. Taking a deep breath, she walked towards the cell and saw a pair of orderlies waiting with Dr. McCoy. He gave her a rather stern look as she came up.

"What are you doing here?" demanded Dr. White as she tried to see whether or not the window panel was open.

"I saw the security tapes, Gwen," answered Dr. McCoy. "I saw you unlock his cell and go inside without authorization. You know the rules and procedures. You broke them all when you went into his cell."

Gwen opened her mouth and shut it again. "It was the only way I could get him to talk to me. After all the things you have done to him, it was the only way," she explained. "You pumped him up with drugs without even trying to figure out what his hallucinations were saying about him."

"I told you to pick another patient," warned Dr. McCoy.

"You didn't say that exactly," countered Dr. White. "Now, if you don't mind, I would like to speak with my patient." She handed him a piece of paper. His eyes narrowed as he finished reading it. "As you can see, I got Dr. Rinehart's approval to be his doctor. Not you."

"Bring him out," Dr. McCoy ordered the orderlies to unlock the door. "I don't think you're going to find out anything and bringing him out of his cell is dangerous."

"He won't hurt me," whispered Dr. White.

Dr. McCoy walked passed her and thrust the paper back into her hand. He whispered into her ear, "I hope for your sake that you're right." With that he proceed away from her. Dr. White didn't have time to react as they brought her patient out.

"Release him. Don't touch him," she ordered. "You have other things to do around here." The orderlies glanced at each other before they shrugged their shoulders and went off to continue their work. They left the door wide open and she stepped inside, and saw that he was still seated on his cot.

"Good morning, Doctor," he greeted, almost jovially. "I didn't expect to see you so soon."

"You heard everything that Dr. McCoy said."

"I'm crazy. Not deaf."

"Are you ready to go outside?" She pulled out a pair of thong slippers that she had in one of her deep pockets. "You'll need these if you do. I hope that they fit."

He straightened up and held out his hands to accept them. Just before she handed them over, she noticed that there was a writer's callous on his right middle finger, indicating that he was right handed just as she had suspected from analyzing his artwork. She noticed that his accent was not low class, but at the same time slightly different from the middle class people she knew from London. She could tell that he was educated and that he was studying her, too. He barely looked at her as he slipped on the slippers.

"I haven't seen the outside in a while," he whispered as he got to his feet, stretching to his full height. He towered over her by a head and a half. He looked over six feet tall with his thin body structure he could have resembled a scarecrow. However, he was too beautiful to be one, and he moved with unnerving grace. It was him who led her out of the cell and she already found herself at a disadvantage as she followed him. Unlike many of the patients, he didn't wear a bathrobe or even donned a sweater when he walked around.

Following him got to Dr. White immediately, she quickly caught up to his long gait. She looked around in alarm, half wishing that she hadn't sent the orderlies on their way. She stopped when she noticed that he had paused behind her, making her lead him. "You are scared of me, aren't you?" he asked. She turned to face him. "I can feel it. You hide it well from the others, but I can tell that you're scared of me."

"We have to trust each other, so yes, I am afraid of you," confessed the psychologist. "Why don't we get outside first?" Her answer seemed to have satisfied him because he took a step forward to catch up with her. They continued their long walk down the corridor and when they got to the door she let him open it. The air was even more chilled than before as he allowed her to step outside.

"Let's go to that table over there. There aren't a lot of people over there," suggested Dr. White. He agreed by going to the table ahead of her without saying anything he pulled out her chair. Dr. White accepted the seat he had offered her. "Did you have breakfast yet?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied, placing his arms on the table. "Why don't we start? Go ahead and ask your questions."

"You've been to a psychologist before, haven't you?"

"Of course, I have. I've seen a lot of them here. That's what this place is about."

"No, I mean you've seen one before this place. Before you came here."

"This isn't a bad place. There are worse places. Places that you couldn't even begin to imagine."

"Show them to me," requested Dr. White as she tore a piece of paper from her pad from the very bottom. She handed him a pen. "Tell me about these places."

He started to draw a figure with the pen. "You see there is this place called Azkaban. It's a prison. A wizards' prison." His pen strokes became deeper, harder. "The guards aren't like the ones here, but it is a place that isn't very different from this one. In some ways. The guards are called Dementors. The only thing they know how to do is live off the misery of others by sucking every positive feeling a person can have. Azkaban is on an island. At least I think so, I've never been there myself, but I've seen the Dementors up close. They look like Death personified. The Grim Reaper. They have hoods that cover their heads. I've seen the face underneath. They suck souls. It's called the Dementor's Kiss."

"How do you live without a soul?"

"I'm not completely sure of that yet myself. But I saw the face of a Dementor." He turned the picture he had been drawing around and showed it to her. It was a horrific picture of a figure of a rotting skull with long fingers with the fleshing tearing off. Its mouth was opened wide and there weren't any eyes in the sockets. Dr. White repressed a shudder as she stared at it. "That doesn't answer my question. How do you live without a soul?"

He chuckled a little as he shook his head. "You think that a person's life is tied with a soul. That's where you're wrong, Dr. White. It's a common misconception among you people. The body lives on like a shell, but the person is gone. Think of it as an extreme lobotomy."

"Go on," she prompted.

"You know you can feel them lurking about sometimes. Have you ever had a chill go through you and be completely alone in a place that's supposed to be safe and familiar to you? Have you ever had a good feeling just disappear on you and wonder why you feel such despair all of a sudden? There some who can't shake that feeling no matter what they do. Not even all your potions can help them. It's a slow way to die. Some of them don't even wait for the Dementor to take their souls. They just kill themselves. Anything to stop that pain. That misery."

Dr. White swallowed as she asked him, "I've never seen them."

"You can't. People like you can't see them, but people like me can."

"You mean wizards can, but not normal people."

"That's another problem you people have. You may consider yourself normal, but you're really just different from me. Azkaban's Dementors left last year before the attack on the Ministry of Magic."

"The Ministry of Magic?" She wanted him to move on. She didn't want to hear anymore about the Dementors. An unnerving feeling of apprehension filled her as she pushed down the thoughts swarming in her. Thoughts that she didn't want to think about, emotions that she had to keep locked down.

He flipped over the sheet of paper and started to sketch something again, if he knew her apprehension, he didn't express anything towards her. "It's the seat of power in among the wizards of Great Britain. In other places where the government is sparse, they have covens. That's what the Americans have. They have covens. I used to work in the Ministry. I started there my first year out of Hogwarts. That's the school that the wizards of Great Britain send their children to be educated. Which one do you want to hear about first?"

"Which ever one you want me to hear first."

He put down the pen. Dr. White could see that it was the beginnings of another drawing. It was the picture of broken statues. He looked at her with hard eyes. "It doesn't matter what happened in Hogwarts. It only mattered what happened there." He ran his fingers over the picture. "That's where it really started."

* * *

Tonks had Percy's personnel file on her desk and went over it. It was pretty dull, nothing like any of the Auror personnel files. He really was a glorified paper pusher. Percy had a few things in his record that was of interest, but they were almost public knowledge. He had promotions and two inquiries. 

The promotions occurred first with Crouch, then later with Fudge. The first inquiry happened after Crouch's disappearance, but Percy had been cleared after it was discovered that Crouch's son had killed him. While the second inquiry happened shortly after the incident at the end of the school year involving Harry Potter and other students, including Percy's two youngest siblings. Percy had been thrown to the wolves by the former Minister. He was left almost defenseless, but no one had counted on Percy's high intelligence and charisma. He was able to get out of it just the same.

Carefully, Tonks studied the transcripts from the last inquiry. Percy came off as humble, but not overly confident. Not at all the way that his siblings describe him. After the inquiry, Percy was shunted to a different office, but managed to retain his position under the minister. It was probably because at the time Percy gave no indication that he was going to betray Fudge. The moves that Percy had made briefly to his sudden disappearance were cold and calculating.

Over several months, Percy had kept quiet with his nose to the grindstone. It hadn't taken Fudge long to trust him because he was so willing to betray his family. Soon Percy found out a lot of information that Fudge didn't want anyone out of his inner circle to find out. Everything from bribes, to more sinister things, were revealed to Percy.

Tonks could almost appreciate the sheer Machiavellian actions that Percy carried out. He didn't just get Fudge arrested, Percy utterly destroyed the man in the process by discrediting him, and literally, exposing him to the world. Tonks looked at another file, one of her own making. It was all the articles about Fudge, even though the source of the articles was labeled as anonymous, everyone in the Ministry knew it was Percy. He had forwarded copies about the things that Fudge had done as Minister of Magic to all the major wizarding publications in the world. He didn't send a copy to the _Daily Prophet_, but sent one to _The Quibbler_. It became international knowledge in less than a day.

On the day that Fudge was arrested, Tonks had come in early to the offices. She was ordered to come with the other Aurors to the Minister's office. When she had arrived, she saw a group of Aurors arresting the Minister, while Percy stood by, watching everything. He didn't wear a look of satisfaction nor smugness. Rather Percy, looked on dispassionately as the Aurors restrained Fudge.

_"You? How could you do this to me!" demanded Fudge as he struggled against a pair of Aurors. His eyes were wide and locked on Percy whose eyes held no emotion. "After all I've done for you. You betrayed me!"_

_Tonks glanced at Percy, expecting him to say something. To everyone's surprise, Percy merely turned on his heel and walked away without saying a word. "Percy! Percy! PERCY WEASLEY!" screamed Fudge. _

_Percy didn't turn around until he was on the lift. He took off his glasses when he got there, and looked at the disposed Minister. Suddenly, Fudge's eyes widened again, but shrank to normal size as if Percy had silently conveyed a message to him. Fudge's body went lax at the same time. Percy pressed the buttons at the lift and the doors closed._

That was the last time that Tonks ever saw Percy. She was the one who had found Percy's resignation on the desk of the Minister. It was the last piece of paper in the personnel file. Once again, she read it.

_Dear Minister Fudge,_

_I regret to inform you that I must terminate my employment in the Ministry of Magic effective immediately. My reasons for my resignation will proceed this letter. My loyalties have been misaligned. I should have been loyal to the Ministry and its ideals, not to any individual. I have already paid for my folly. It is time for you to do the same._

_Sincerely,_

_Percy Ignatius Weasley _

The wording of the letter gave clear indication of Percy's intentions, but his reasons were unclear. It took several weeks after Voldemort's return was revealed to the general wizarding public before Percy took actions against the Minister. Maybe, he was waiting for the Minister to be ousted out of office by the public, but later only realized that it wasn't going to happen fast enough. Or did Percy plan to do it at that time. It was difficult to tell.

The most perplexing thing about the letter's wording was "I have already paid for my folly." Tonks didn't know what that could possibly mean. She rubbed her temples as she stared at the words and read them over and over again.

"I always thought he was verbose. That's what Bill led me to believe anyway," said Kingsley over her shoulder. "But this is a lot shorter than what I expected."

"Did you ever get to know him while he was here?" asked Tonks as she turned to him.

"Did you?" countered Kingsley. "The only reason why I noticed him at all was because he was Arthur's son. Other than that, I wouldn't have cared much."

"You didn't like him much?" Tonks smirked at him.

Kingsley shook his head. "He wasn't exactly very popular around here, not even with the younger ones. He was too pompous for his own good. Not that it wasn't a little warranted. Did you see his records from Hogwarts?"

Tonks flipped back to the beginning of the file and looked at Percy's resume. After a quick skim, she announced, "He had the qualifications to be an Auror. All of his grades were at N.E.W.T. level and he got the max number of O.W.L.s. Why did he decide to become a paper pusher?"

"Arthur said that he's very ambitious. Had his heart set on being the next Minister of Magic," answered Kingsley. "His family might be the place to start."

"I don't think Arthur would have asked me to look into it, if their family knew where he was. Or have a clue at least. I guess I could ask Bill, Charlie, Fred, and George if they've seen him, but didn't tell their father. I mean didn't Arthur and Percy have a falling out of sorts last year?"

"More than a year ago," corrected Kingsley and continued to explain. "You're not going to find the reason that in the file, but the cause of it was the Ministry. Percy chose to side against his family. He believed Fudge because he promoted him. Arthur told Percy that Fudge was only using him. And you can guess what happened next. You know what means to need to be young and independent."

"I'm not that much older than him, Kingsley," pointed out Tonks. "I can understand why he didn't side with his parents, but I can't understand why he'd just walk away. Why didn't anyone notice it sooner?"

"I can't really say. I guess we all held our breaths waiting for Percy's next move. I think Dumbledore expected him to join up with us," said Kingsley. "He was a wild card all along."

"It doesn't have his last known address listed," said Tonks, looking at the general information. "That's strange. I guess I'll have to start with his family then. I know I said I'd do it alone, but would you mind tracking down his flat?"

Kingsley nodded. "I'll see what I can do. Good luck interviewing the brothers. You might not have a chance to interview Ron and Ginny in time, but four out of six isn't bad." He went to his desk. "Besides, Arthur is my friend, too, Tonks. We'll find his son. It's only a matter of time." Closing the personnel file, Tonks mused about Kingsley's statement.

Yes, she agreed that they would find Arthur's son, but no one said anything about finding him alive.

* * *

The first session with her patient concluded, Dr. White escorted her patient back to his cell in silence. When she returned to her office, she opened the file on him to place the pictures he had draw along with the rest. She made one startling discovery: for the entire time that they were together, she hadn't taken any notes. Furious at herself, Dr. White pulled out her tape recorder. She should have brought it with her in the first place. 

Sighing she turned it on. She stated the date and case number for official record and began, "Today was my first session with this patient who remains nameless for the record. I will therefore refer to him as the patient or Wizard. He looks like he is in late teens to early twenties, but his real age is unknown. It is unclear what mental disorder or disorders he suffers from. Judging by his left forearm, he has attempted to commit suicide once, which could possibly indicate depression. However, I have not been able to assess whether or not he has manic-depression or paranoid schizophrenia."

"Moreover, the patient has delusions. However, these are superficial at best. He doesn't speak about his own personal life at all, including his family and himself. There must be some sort of complex symbolism in the stories he creates, in the world that he speaks of. He relays that his world is not that different from this one, but one standard could substitute for another." Dr. White paused the tape recorder for a moment. Regret filled her. What kind of psychologist goes through an entire session without recording it in some way? She berated herself as she almost slammed the tape recorder on the desk.

A soft laugh came from her doorway. Looking up, Dr. White saw Dr. McCoy smirking at her. Suppressing a grimace, she plastered a grin on her face and kept her head from shaking from left to right. "What brings you to my office?" she asked pleasantly enough. She was going have to close that door eventually because Dr. McCoy kept coming in uninvited.

"I was wondering how the first session went with your patient," replied Dr. McCoy innocently enough. She narrowed her eyes at him. "From the sounds of it, you've got your work cut out for you."

"But you already knew that," countered Dr. White defensively. She was no miracle worker. There was no way she could fix her patient in a single session. She was hoping to avoid another conversation with Dr. McCoy anytime soon.

"I'm sure you'll do whatever you can," said Dr. McCoy smoothly with that he slipped away from her door. The moment he was long out of earshot, Dr. White got to her feet and marched up to the door to slam it shut. Once again she stopped herself from doing what she really wanted to do, by catching the door before it could make a loud bang. She ended up closing it with a soft click.

* * *

AN: I'm afraid there won't be much comic relief in this story. The only time that will happen is when Tonks is normally there. In fact, it seems very dark and it's meant to be like that. There is a mystery surrounding Percy. Normally, I would like to put in some internal dialogue or thoughts for more than one character. I think that the character that will have the internal dialogue will be Tonks. Percy won't have any for obvious reasons, and Dr. White at this time remains as sort of real observer of sorts. Part of this chapter was written at the airport, while waiting for my plane to San Francisco. 

kirikarin. livejournal. com

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. This story belongs to me and cannot be posted anywhere else without my permission.


	3. The Weasley Brothers

Deconstruction

Chapter Three: The Weasley Brothers

Tonks had to make arrangements to meet with the Weasley brothers, but it wasn't going to be as easy at it sounded. All four of them were busy and normally, she didn't see them unless there was a meeting for the Order. Each of them had their own lives and none of them seemed overly concerned about Percy. To a varying degree, Bill, Charlie, Fred, and George barely acknowledged Percy's existence.

The first person to start with was Bill Weasley. As the oldest, he more or less was the main representative of his family. He was the natural born leader of the pack and he was perhaps the biggest risk taker out of his siblings. Tonks liked how modern he looked with his dragon fang earring and long hair.

She had managed to arrange a meeting at his office at his workplace, Gringotts Bank. She normally wouldn't seek him out for a social call, but this wasn't one. Tonks was hoping that he had heard from Percy, but just didn't advertise it with the family. Bill agreed to meet with her in his office, which over looked Diagon Alley.

A goblin admitted her to the offices and guided her to Bill's office without saying a word. She knocked on Bill's office. "Come in," he said as Tonks opened the door. He looked up at her with a smile. There wasn't much on his desk because he really hated doing paperwork, but he was only there for the Order. She returned her smile just before closing the door behind him. "So, what I have I done in order to get a visit from you, Tonks?" asked Bill jovially.

"Do mind if I sit down?" asked Tonks as she took out a notebook and a quill from her pocket. "I need to ask you a few questions."

Bill nodded obligingly as he asked, "So, what did you want to ask me?"

Tonks took a deep breath because she wasn't going about to beat around the bush. That wasn't her natural style. "Have you heard from your brother, Percy, lately?" she inquired.

Bill's eyebrows furrowed as he shook his head. "No, I haven't. Why?"

"Then, you don't know. No one has seen your brother for the past twelve weeks."

Bill looked flabbergasted as his jaw dropped. "No one's seen him for three months?" He said the last part slowly. "That's impossible. He was the one who turned in Fudge. Why that was—"

"Three months ago," provided Tonks. "No one has seen him since that day. He walked out of the Ministry and just vanished into thin air. I was wondering if you heard from him since then."

"I already told you. Not a single owl from him. Percy stopped talking to me months ago. Do you think something's happen to him?"

"I don't know yet. Your father just asked me yesterday to look into it. Do you know anyone who might possibly know where he might be?"

"No one. To tell you the truth, I never really took much interest in what Percy was doing," admitted Bill. "I'm sorry. I wish that I knew something. It must have been too long. We were expecting him to contact us after Fudge's arrest, but he never did. We thought that he was going to ask about joining up with us."

"Did anyone extend an invitation to him right after?" asked Tonks.

"Dumbledore had suggested that my dad do it, but my dad disagreed. He said that we should wait for Percy to come. Both of them have a lot of pride, Tonks," replied Bill. "That's the reason why the row lasted for as long as it has. I don't think my mum knows about this. She hasn't really been all that worried. She said that she was glad that Percy just got out of the Ministry and gave Fudge what he had coming."

"Do you know why Percy would suddenly just do that to Fudge?"

"I can't say. I mean he had plenty of time turn him in between the incident in the Department of Mysteries and when he actually did it."

"No one was expecting that. Percy had appeared to be one of Fudge's supporters throughout the whole thing. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself."

Bill raised his eyebrow at her. "So, you saw him at the Ministry that day?"

"Yes," answered Tonks. "I saw him." She shifted uncomfortably under Bill's gaze as she squared off her shoulders. "If that's all you have for me, then I'll have to proceed with my investigation."

"Are you going to question my brothers?" he asked as she rose to her feet. "Because I doubt they have anything more than I do."

"You never know that," said Tonks calmly. She pocketed her quill and notebook. Bill gave her an uncertain look as he requested, "Would you mind keeping me appraised of your investigation?"

"I'll see what I can do," replied Tonks noncommittally. She had a hard enough time reporting to Kingsley, and there was also Arthur to contend with. "I am already reporting to your father, Bill. I sure he'll pass on anything I find out. I'll see you later. At the next meeting."

Bill nodded as he rose to his feet as well. He strode to the door and opened it for Tonks, allowing her out. As soon as she stepped outside, she heard him close the door. She had a feeling that Bill was going to start making inquiries of his own because he was bored with his desk job for the bank.

Tonks continued until she was out of the bank. She wasn't too far away from Fred and George's store, Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes, but she decided to question them last. She'd rather stick to her plan of questioning the brothers in their birth order. Tonks took out her notebook to check where she could find Charlie.

Charlie Weasley had recently relocated to Scotland to be closer to his family and the Order. There was a dragon reserve up in the Moors that required his expertise. Tonks hadn't seen him as often as she had seen the other brothers, but he had always been very friendly to her. They had the common interest of Quidditch.

Tonks Apparated there without delay because she wanted to get to Charlie before Bill sent an owl. The chill caught up with her almost instantly. The dragon reserve was far off any major roads that the Muggle drove on. The desolated, rocky area was very uninviting that only a few Muggles who liked hiking and spelunking ever made it near even to the reserve to cause concern. There were also wards that kept them from getting close enough to even see a dragon. Although, there were some reports ever once in a while that surfaced about the dragons when they took flight.

Scotland's Loch was one of the grounds that the Muggles went to as a tourist spot, but Ness was never there for them to see. The Loch Ness was real, but it didn't remain in the lake because the wizards had taken great care in transporting the water dragon close to the reserves. Tonks' father once told her how his family had taken a vacation to see the famed monster, but he later found out that it wasn't even there. Her father said he was both relieved and disappointed at the same time.

Tonks craned her neck upward to the sky to look for any dragons that could flying above her. There were none to be seen. The dragons were only allowed out at night, but ever once in a while one would get loose. Tonks pulled her cloak closer to her as strong breeze spun around her. Taking a deep breath, she concentrated as she looked for an entrance among the dense trees to get inside the reserve. Carefully, she studied the ground and saw that there was a trail that was full of heavy tread from boots. She followed into a pair of trees that didn't look like they were naturally planted together and simply stepped through.

She was greeted by a smiling young man who looked a few years younger than her. "Hullo, Miss."

"Hullo. I'm looking for Charlie Weasley. Tell him that Tonks is here to see him."

"You know Charlie? He's a great bloke. Knows more about dragons than anyone here. Why do need to see him?"

Tonks smiled at the young dragon handler and asked again, "Please. This is urgent. I need to speak with him."

"What are you doing, Rodney?" asked a voice from behind them. "Tonks? What are you doing here?"

"Charlie, it's good to see you. I had to come to ask you a few questions."

"Sure," said Charlie as he watched Rodney go off with the other dragon handlers. "Is this about—"

"This isn't about that," Tonks cut off. "Percy hasn't been seen for the last three months." She waited for Charlie's expression. He had almost the exact same reaction that Bill had. The look of astonishment on his face was even more expressive. "I've just come from talking with Bill. I'm going to be questioning Fred and George next. I won't be able to ask Ron and Ginny anything while they're at school. And I think that they have even less information than the rest of you."

"What do you need to know?" asked Charlie.

"When did you last see him?"

"Almost a year ago. I tried to talk to him face to face. I didn't tell anyone else in my family. I wanted him to go back and talk to our dad, but he wouldn't. He was always so bloody stubborn."

"Did he contact you at all by any other means?" Tonks wrote down Charlie's answer as he shook his head. "You didn't hear from him at all?"

"Nothing. The last letter he sent to any member of our family was to Ron during the school year. Ron said it was a letter to congratulate him about being a prefect," replied Charlie as they continued to tour the grounds. Tonks gave him an inquiring look. He answered the look without hearing her question. "Percy wrote to warn Ron about being friends with Harry Potter and about Dumbledore being wrong and mad. Perhaps, Percy was hoping to get someone from the family on his side."

"Or he was trying to further isolate himself from the family," pointed out Tonks. "Your brother is certainly good at burning his bridges."

Charlie stopped in his tracks and shook his head. "Percy is just ambitious and it tends to blind him to his own faults that's all. He wouldn't be so cruel to my parents. He put them through a lot, but my mum's never given up on him."

"What about you?"

"He's my brother, Tonks. I may not like him very much, but that doesn't mean I don't love him," replied Charlie simply.

"He doesn't sound so loveable to me, Charlie."

"Do you think something awful happen to him?" His voice was strained with worry. "I mean he changed the Ministry for the better. Fudge was his only real victim. I can't imagine anyone hurting him."

"Then tell me, do you know someone who was close to him after he left the family?"

"I don't know anyone. He didn't say. I heard that he used to go with a girl when he was in Hogwarts. Her name is Penelope Clearwater. She was in Ravenclaw. Maybe, he might have still kept in touch with her. Who asked to go looking for Percy in the first place?"

"Your father did," replied Tonks. "He got worried. From what I could tell from Bill, it took a lot of swallowing of pride from your dad to come up and ask where he's been. Did you like Bill expect him to join up with us?"

Charlie looked away for a moment. "I don't know. I was just expecting him to come home. For all that Percy is, he's still a part of the family. We're not the same without him. I don't understand why he'd just leave without saying anything. I mean is he really missing or did he just leave?"

"I don't know that yet," answered Tonks truthfully. "So, far I started with questioning you and your brother first. I looked up his file in the Ministry. He didn't have an address, so I was hoping that you might know where he lived. I mean even he couldn't live at the Ministry. He had to have a life outside of it, no matter how dull it was."

"I never bothered to get to know his friends," admitted Charlie as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I didn't even think he had any. I never really cared to know. I wish I had more to give you, but I don't have anything else. I think that Fred and George might know more. They spent more years at Hogwarts with him than me or Bill."

"Your father told me to keep him up on anything I find," said Tonks. "I never took the time to get to know Percy and I did see him from time to time at the Ministry. As near as I can tell, he didn't have any friends there either."

Charlie sighed. He glanced at her. "Sometimes, I think he only turned out that way because of the way we treated him. He was always so different from the rest of us. He's the quiet one and always so serious. Did you know that his sorting at Hogwarts took the longest? I'm pretty sure that hat had the hardest time figuring out where he was supposed to go."

Tonks nodded in agreement. Yes, Percy was different from the rest of his family. There was a lot going on about him that they didn't know about nor did they have the patience to take the time to work out. "If you don't mind, I have to leave to get back to London to interview Fred and George."

"You're probably better off going now because I don't have anything more to give you," agreed Charlie. He escorted her back to the entrance of the dragon reserve in pensive silence. He was probably racking his brain, trying to figure out where Percy could have gone. "I hope that you find him soon. If you have any questions or if you're wondering about something that I could possibly know, don't hesitate to contact me again."

"Thank you, Charlie," whispered Tonks. "I'll try my best. Take care."

"You, too," he whispered back as he turned back to the reserve. Tonks wrote down a brief note about the interview and decided to move onto the next one. She was about to discover that even as identical twins, Fred and George still had their own unique differences.

* * *

After he was remanded to his cell, he closed his eyes for only a short while. He only got by a mere hours of sleep and ate as little as possible. He was haunt by nightmares and the Muggles had a tendency to spike the food with their drugs that made his mind even more muddled. However, he soon found himself asleep. 

It was one of his reoccurring nightmares. In this one, he is walking down a cold, long corridor light with dim lights. His glasses felt heavy on the ridge of his nose and a voice tells him that it was time for him to identify the body. The body under the white cloth. The body in the metal drawer. The door swung open for him as he walked up to it. Slowly, he crept towards the only open drawer where a pair of feet stuck out from under the white cloth. There was a tag on one of the big toes.

His breath was harsh as his heart began to pound against his ribcage. With trembling hands, he reached for the cloth with both hands to pull it back to see the person under it—

He woke up gasping for air. His hands darted out, reaching for nothing. He tried to remember where he was. When he did, it calmed him down again. He was safe where he was. That was one of the good things of the hospital.

He was safe.

Safety was just an illusion. The hospital was only safe to the truly deluded. All of them were trapped in some way. He was just as trapped as the rest of them, but he wasn't that safe.

* * *

Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes was one of the most successful shops in Diagon Alley. The business was one of the top competitors against Zonko's Joke Shop. WWW, as Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes was called by frequent shoppers, was constantly expanding their line with new pranks and great jokes every month. Fred and George Weasley were considered marketing and business geniuses. They were now the most successful out of all the Weasley siblings. 

As part of their newfound success, they moved out of the Burrow. The Weasley home remained empty since the summer before last. Fred and George helped out their family's financial situation by helping Ron and Ginny with their school supplies. Things were looking up for the Weasleys thanks to the twins.

Tonks walked into the joke shop and one of the more goofier employees walked up to her. He was only goofy because of the glasses with swirls in them and the funny hat. "Welcome to Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes!" he declared in an overly cheerful voice.

"I'm looking for Fred and George Weasley," said Tonks as she held out her arms in a defensive stance. "I'm here to ask questions about their brother." She figured it would be the fastest way to get the attention of the twins.

"I'll see what I can do. They're in the back," said the employee as he scampered off. Tonks blew a sigh of relief that lifted her bangs as she looked around.

The shop had been expanded to suit the needs of the growing WWW line. To think, Fred and George had dropped out of school only to create a successful business. Their escape from Hogwarts was one for the record books. Tonks nearly touched something that caught her attention.

"I never thought you were the type who would go after shiny objects," observed a very amused redhead as his brother grinned at her. Tonks had to look at them when they were talking because their voices sounded alike. "Do you want to go out and talk about it? We're due for a break."

"We just had a break five minutes ago, Fred," pointed out George.

Fred laughed and said, "We're the bosses, George. We can take another break. Let's go and grab a bite to eat."

"I'll buy," offered Tonks. Silently, grateful that neither of them asked which brother she was had referring to.

"Then, I guess we'll take another break," agreed George with that the three of them proceeded outside. They took the short walk to the Leaky Cauldron because it was the closest place. Fred opened the door for her and his twin.

Tonks allowed them to get comfortable before she started her informal interview, but it was before they even had a chance to place their orders to Tom. "I wanted to talk to you about Percy," she merely said as she looked at them.

The expressions on their faces immediately separated the twins. Fred's face twisted in anger as George's became more questioning. "No one has seen him since that day in the Ministry. After Fudge was arrested and he turned in his resignation. It's been three months. Your father has asked me to go and look for him."

Fred was the first to respond, "We haven't heard from him. And if he walked out on Fudge, then that's what he did to us."

"I know that you are angry about your brother leaving your family the way that he did," placated Tonks. "But that doesn't change the fact that he's gone and no one has heard nor seen him in that time."

"And you're wondering why no one bothered until now?" demanded Fred, totally monopolizing the conversation. George looked like he wanted to say something, but he wasn't given a chance to. "That's what he does. He walks out on people. He doesn't know what it means to be loyal." He slide the chair out and got to his feet. "And I'm not going to waste time talking about him, while there's work to be done."

He stormed out of the pub just as Tom had come up to take the orders. There was a brief awkward silence. George broke it by placing his order and then Tonks placed hers. As soon as Tom was gone, George said, "You'll have to forgive Fred. Percy's a bit of a sore spot for him."

"I understand," said Tonks. She was an only child, but that didn't mean she didn't understand how someone could feel betrayed by a family member. Her mother had done the same thing to hers, so Tonks knew what it meant to go one's own way. "So, was he telling the truth when he said that you haven't heard from him?"

"Did you talk to Bill and Charlie already?"

"Yes. They haven't heard from him."

"We haven't either. Things haven't been the same since Percy left. We're not even at our house. We can't stay there because of what's happening. My mum doesn't go there at all. Maybe, he's at the Burrow," suggested George.

"Does Percy know your family moved out?"

"It wasn't common knowledge. We had to be careful who we told. My dad probably thought that Percy was going to come to him and talk, but I guess he never did. Percy's got too much pride to apologize or admit he's wrong, but my dad just wanted him to come and talk."

"Okay, I'll check the Burrow," said Tonks as she made note of it in her book.

George shifted uncomfortably and sighed. "We did see someone not too long ago. Not Percy, but his flat mate," he confessed.

"His flat mate?" she repeated. "You mean you know where he moved out to?"

"Not exactly."

"Start from the beginning."

George sighed again as Tom came back and dropped off their orders and drinks. He licked his lips as he began, "It wasn't too long ago. Wait, it was. His flat mate was a friend of ours and the captain of the Quidditch team for the majority of the time we were on the team, Oliver Wood. Fred was happy to see him at first until he mentioned that he was living with Percy. After that, he got pretty shirty with him. Oliver left soon after that."

"So, Percy and Oliver know each other."

"They were in the same year at Hogwarts," confirmed George. "They were roommates at the dorms. I suppose they were friends. I never saw them together though, but then again, I avoided being around Percy as much as possible. Oliver was also pretty bad when the season was going on, and we had our own thing to do."

Tonks jotted down Oliver's name on a single page. She was going to have to do some reason. "But Oliver Wood is the keeper for Puddlemere United. He's one of the best Quidditch players that England's seen in ages," she said.

"Yeah, he was on the reserve team when started out. We've been following his game since then," said George. "Although, he's been off lately."

Tonks nodded as she finished off her meal. They had been eating and drinking while they were talking. "You should bring something back for Fred," she suggested.

George looked at her as she pulled out the money out of her little money satchel. But he shook his head, "I'll bring something back for him myself. I'm sorry that you couldn't ask him any questions."

"It's okay," said Tonks as she placed enough money on the table for her and George's meal. "I'll talk to you later. Your father will probably tell you what's going on." She was on her way just before she could barely hear George say, "I hope you find him."

* * *

AN: The truth is that Percy's own brothers don't know him. They have a tendency to underestimate his character. The great part of this fic is that I get to play around with some of the characters that I normally don't use or ignore all together. It also allows me to utilize characters that I've been wanting to play around with for a while. 

kirikarin. I do not own Harry Potter. This story belongs to me and cannot be posted anywhere else without my permission.


	4. Oliver Wood

Deconstruction

Chapter Four: Oliver Wood

The world works in mysterious ways. Everyone has their own expectations of how things ought to be, but it never seems to turn out that way. These were things that Dr. White found herself pondering in her young life. She had always been a rather pensive person, especially since she was a child and the one of the worst things in the world that could happen to a child happened to her. Since that time, she became overly passive and watched her life play out like one would watch a movie or a television show.

At any rate, her patient seemed to be in brighter spirits. The act of going outside over the past few days had made him calmer, even though his eyes remained cold and dead. His veneer hid the subtle genius that she was sure he possessed. He didn't talk to show off his intelligence, but only to give her a window into his thinking, which was highly complex indeed.

There was one subject he skirted all the time: himself. He wouldn't talk about himself and it wasn't like he had amnesia. He didn't like to talk about himself or anyone else in his life. He spoke in larger, vague terms and never used any names of any individual people. He didn't talk about his family or friends. Nothing about his past life, which lead Dr. White to believe that he wanted to forget. Or it was too painful to talk about.

"So, you studied magic at this school. Does everyone else you know have magic?" she asked.

His hands were resting on the table, tapping along. She would have asked again, but he replied, "Not everyone has magic. Not you."

"No, I mean people you knew before coming here."

"Oh, this is a classical Freudian trick, isn't it? What do you want me to do? Blame my parents for being so screwed up?" He paused staring at the startled expression on Dr. White's face. "I'll tell you right now. I'm the one whose screwed up. Just me. Everyone's so quick to blame other people that they forget how to take responsibility for themselves. I'm tired of people doing that."

"Are you always so harsh on yourself?"

"If you knew the things I've done, you wouldn't question me."

"What have you done?"

He pulled away from her and took a deep breath. "Did I ever tell you about some of the characters of my story?" he asked.

Dr. White wasn't sure if he was changing the topic or continuing onward with a different style. So, she slowly shook her head as he tapped his fingers on the tabletop. He was bored. With a mind like his, it was no surprise that he'd get bored so easily. All of this was some sort of game to him. Or maybe that was all of Dr. White's assumptions arising.

"There was one individual. A poor deluded soul who thought that he had control of everything, but that is never completely true for anyone," he replied darkly. "Even if you think you have control it is a mere illusion."

He went on without waiting for any feedback from Dr. White, "You and I aren't much different, Doctor. We're used to being in the background. We linger in the background." Once again he glanced at her. This time it was more expectant, coaxing an answer out of her.

"The background is a safe place," she murmured uncertainly.

"That's not always true. There are risks to every position you take. I was so far into the background that I was pushed out into the foreground," he stated. "Before I knew things just got away from me."

"You mean you were overwhelmed?"

He adjusted his physical position without taking his eyes off her. "Why do you do what you do, Doctor? Everyone has a reason for why the fall into the occupation that they do. For my people, this is a trying time. Usually the bad things that happen in my world tend to bleed out into your world. I guess my question is why did you become a doctor in psychology in the first place?" His focused gaze seemed to penetrate her. "You are very driven, too. You're young and you've given up so much just to interview poor souls like myself. Something must have happened to you."

Dr. White shifted. Somehow, she knew that he would eventually make it about her. "I became a doctor of psychology to help people. I'm too shaky to be a surgeon and I like talking to people," she explained lamely.

"I know that's not true."

"How do you know that?"

"I can see it. You choose your occupation because your mother was one—" he glanced at her again and shook his head, "—no, your father was one. But something pushed you all the way to this lovely place." He gestured with a flourish of his hands at the surroundings.

She swallowed and felt shaken by his manner. He was reading her very well at the moment, better than she was reading him. He leaned forward. "If you want to know who or what I am, I already told you and the rest you should be able to figure out. Now do you want to know more about the cast of characters?"

"Yes," replied Dr. White as she readied her pen and pad.

* * *

Tonks spent the next few days gathering as much information on Oliver Wood as she could. There was a lot of information on him because he was a public figure, but what Tonks was interested in, was his private life, which was not covered. As a sports figure, Oliver was an accomplished athlete, but personality wise he was pretty dull. He was known to be very driven, but he didn't have any of the interesting gossip surrounding him like other Quidditch players. 

Rather, Oliver had a flat in an area of London known to the wizarding world as The Edge. He and Percy lived together until the latter disappeared. The area was called The Edge because it was one of the places that bordered the Muggles. In fact, it wasn't surprising that one could walk across the street in certain areas and find him or her self in the Muggle World. Tonks knew the neighborhood very well because she resided in a section of it.

Oliver lived in a different side. The side he lived on was closer to the Muggles, which struck Tonks as strange. Usually, purebloods such as Oliver and Percy would have chosen to live closer to the wizarding side. Tonks had taken the middle ground and lived along the middle of The Edge.

There was nothing much in Oliver's personal records. In the previous year, he was taken off the reserve team for the Puddlemere United and to replace the old keeper. He had been brought in at the end of the last season and did very well. They decided to keep him as the keeper. There was one large discrepancy: the quoted "Quidditch obsessed keeper" had missed three solid weeks of practice during the pre-season. In fact, Oliver's game had been off since the new season began. It was a good thing that goals were only worth ten points.

Oliver had a typical childhood. He had started and finished Hogwarts the same years that Percy had, so Tonks assumed that was where their friendship had began. Oliver had gotten the flat first and later on Percy had moved in. The timing was shortly after the row that Percy had had with his father. The lease on the flat changed over to just Oliver by himself almost immediately after Percy had disappeared, which meant that at least one person knew that Percy had gone. It indicated that Percy and Oliver were probably very close friends, yet none of Percy's brothers said anything about him having friends.

When Tonks was done gathering her necessary research, it was time for her to prepare her questions for Oliver. It came down to her trying to figure out where to hold the interview. She could hold it at the flat, but after looking at his schedule, she found out that he wasn't there as often as he was at the Puddlemere United training pitch in London. So, Tonks had very little choice, but to go to the pitch.

It wasn't that hard to get to the pitch, but getting inside to talk to the players was going to be harder than it looked. Upon Tonks' arrival, she encountered the rudest young lady that she had ever had the displeasure of meeting. "Excuse me, I would like to talk to Oliver Wood," she requested in a brisk, businesslike manner.

"I'm sorry that no one gets in," muttered the sullen young woman.

"I really need to talk to him," insisted Tonks.

"You and everyone else, but no one gets into the pitch while they're practicing," she retorted before licking her index finger and thumb to turn a page of her copy of _Witch Weekly_.

"I am Tonks from the Aurors office and if you don't allow me to talk to Oliver Wood, I'll be forced to bring you in," snapped Tonks impatiently. The very least the young woman could do was look at her.

Her words, however, had the desired affect. The young woman immediately looked up at her and slowly got out of her chair. "I'll have to go and ask the manager. Please wait here."

Tonks tapped her foot as she waited for the manager to come. The manager was a rotund man with a greasy moustache and receding hair line. It was odd because his eyebrows were thick and bushy. He reeked of an odor that Tonks couldn't even begin to identify, not that she really wanted to. He seemed to waddle over to her. Upon closer inspection, he was really just shifting his weight side to side to get to her. It was reminiscent of a character from one of those Muggle movies that Tonks' father had shown her. "You have a problem that needs addressing, Auror?" asked the manager.

"I'd like a name first if you don't mind," replied Tonks in almost a sweet tone.

"I'm Barnabas Crumble and I'm the manager of the Puddlemere United. What's your name young lady?"

"Tonks."

"Just Tonks? That your first name or surname?"

"Look, I know that practice is over, but I need to talk to one of your players, Oliver Wood."

"I'm sorry, but I must protect my players, Tonks. You understand, don't you?"

"And you'll have to understand if I have to arrest you if you keep getting in my way."

Crumble's upper lip twitched under his moustache as he sized up Tonks up to see if she was bluffing or not. "All right, but I want to make sure that whatever happens here doesn't go to the press. Wood's a great player and has a good image. I wouldn't want you doing anything to tarnish that."

Tonks held up her hands as if to show she had no weapons. "I assure you, that I'm not going to do anything other than ask him a couple of questions. Thank you for your cooperation." Crumble huffed a little before he gestured for her to follow him into the pitch. She walked into the huge training pitch and saw that all the players were currently up in the air.

"You can talk to him after practice," said the manager as he waddle off to do whatever it was that he did. Tonks didn't turn to look at him, her eyes were fixated on the players. Scanning, she was able to find Oliver just at the goal. She wished that she was up the high stands, but this wasn't a social call.

The final whistle blew from the coach and the team captain signaled the other players to come back down. They all dove in perfect formation to the ground. Oliver was the keeper so he was the second to last one down just before the seeker. They all marched up to the coach who gave them a short pep talk before dismissing them off to the showers.

"Oliver Wood," said Tonks out loud, catching the burly Quidditch player's attention. "I would like to you a couple of questions."

"Looks like you've got yourself a fan, Wood," teased one of the chasers.

"She's a reporter," observed the seeker.

"Actually, I'm from the Aurors," corrected Tonks. The rest of the players glanced at Oliver, giving him a strange look. The Aurors didn't typically talk to people unless something wrong happened. "Now, if you don't mind giving me a few moments of your time, I'll make this as quick as possible."

Oliver walked up to her with his broomstick still in hand. His hair was damp with sweat and was bigger than Tonks had expected from when she was looking up at him in the air. "What do you want to talk to me about?" he asked as the rest of the players slowly left for their showers.

"Percy Weasley," replied Tonks, hoping to startle a reaction from him. Oliver didn't give anything away.

"I was wondering how long before someone would come asking," he said after moment of tense silence. "What do you want to know?"

"For starters, how long have you known him?" asked Tonks. The easiest way to get information out of a person was to get them good and comfortable first.

"Since we were eleven," replied Oliver. "I've known him for nearly half my life. Look, I don't know what happened to Percy, okay? Aren't you going to ask questions about him? This isn't about me."

Tonks had out her quill and notebook. "You're right. I just want to get a feel for the situation. How long ago did you see him?"

"I saw him about three months back," replied Oliver. "The last time I saw him was when he left to go and quit the Ministry. The day that all that stuff about Fudge came out in the Prophet. He moved his things out of the flat."

"You mean he planned to leave in the first place?" asked Tonks in amazement. Thus far she had gone under the assumption that something horrible had happened to Percy. "You mean he just walked out on his life?"

Oliver nodded as he gripped his broomstick tightly. "None of them could understand him because he wasn't like them." His voice sounded strained.

"Are you talking about his family?" asked Tonks.

Oliver gave her a sharp, securitizing look as if he was trying to determine what side Tonks was on. "Why are you looking for him in the first place?" he asked.

"His father asked me to," replied Tonks, thinking it was best to stick to the truth. "But that doesn't mean that I don't care about Percy. I made a promise I would find him and bring him home."

"Did it ever occur to any of you that he didn't want to come home?" retorted Oliver. "Look, I know the twins, Fred and George. They always gave him a hard time. That's partly the reason why I worked them hard myself when I was their team captain in school. Like I said, no one in the family ever took the time to get to real know the Percy. Most people think that all of them are the same."

"I know that they're not. Even the twins have their differences. I've seen it first hand," agreed Tonks. "George was willing to help me, but Fred wasn't. But what was so different about Percy?"

"He felt like he had a lot to prove. I mean following after Bill and Charlie wasn't easy for him. He and I had a lot in common because of it. He was really good at his studies, while I excelled in Quidditch. For the entire time that we were in Hogwarts, those things defined who were. Most people didn't even know we were friends. In fact, I don't think most people knew that Percy could ride a broomstick or catch a snitch almost as well as Harry Potter."

Tonks was taken back a bit by Oliver's fond descriptions of Percy. His words were more glowing, more appreciative of his friend than any of the brothers. "Did you notice any chance in his behavior prior to his disappearance?" she asked.

"He got more secretive," admitted Oliver after another lengthy pause to gather his thoughts. "He was under a lot of pressure, working under Fudge and all. It got to him from time to time. He was stressed out. It took a lot out of him to hold in all the secrets that Fudge had. In the end, he decided it was time to tell the world about it."

"Fudge forced Percy to cover up for him?"

"Of course, he did. I'm not saying that Percy made a wise decision when it came to siding with Fudge over his father. But later on he felt like he had no choice, but to stand by his decision."

Tonks muttered under her breath, "Pride."

"It wasn't pride," insisted Oliver as he glared at her. "He couldn't get any respect from the people he wanted it from the most, so he had to find a place to get it. You never saw them all together. Or even just him with any one of his siblings. Maybe, Ginny might have given him even the slightest measure of respect."

"So, you think he left because he had destroyed his life here," whispered Tonks.

"I don't know," muttered Oliver. "I wish I could say something more, but I can't. I don't know what happened to him. I saw him leave that morning. He said he had to go early. It was before all the newspapers were even delivered by owl in the morning."

"So, he left the flat before dawn?" asked Tonks. "You knew he was leaving that day. You said he moved out all his things and took care of any personal business?"

Oliver nodded vigorously. "He didn't give a change of address, so all of his owls were still coming to the house. I toss them," he answered. "I haven't heard from him since then."

"Did he take anything with him? Some clothes perhaps or other papers?"

Oliver's hand gripped his broomstick tighter. Tonks could tell his knuckles were turning white under his gloves. "That's the strange thing. He didn't take anything with him. Look, he was my best friend. His life was hard. You couldn't blame him if he wanted to walk away from it, but I don't think he's the one to blame at all."

"So, you know that he had the intention of leaving, but he didn't inform anyone else, except you?" pressed Tonks.

Oliver shrugged. "I don't know if he told anyone else. He probably thought no one would care. He was partly right. It only took three months for them to notice he was gone. Now, if you don't have anymore questions for me, I need to take a shower." His voice resonated with anger.

"Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions," said Tonks. "But I may need to talk to you again."

Oliver looked thoughtful for a moment before he nodded slowly. "Sure, if you need anything else, I'd be more than happy to help out. I just don't think I have anything else to tell you. Look, I'm sorry to tell you this, but you may not find him. Percy didn't want to be found. You may be thinking of the Weasleys, but someone has to think of Percy's privacy. I don't think you'll find him, so maybe you should just tell his father what I told you."

Tonks gave Oliver a slight smile as she said, "I'm sorry, but I tend to keep my promises to the first person I make them to. Once again, thanks for your help. Good luck this season."

"Thanks," whispered Oliver as he walked off towards the direction that the other players had disappeared into. Tonks pocketed her notebook and quill and walked out the pitch. She felt a mixture of feelings run through her.

Part of her was relieved that someone knew for sure that Percy knowingly left his life behind, but another part of her couldn't shake the feeling that something sinister had occurred. The question of why wasn't completely answered to Tonks' satisfaction. It had something to do with what she assumed Percy was. She had spent the past couple of days racking her brain, trying to figure him out. Her only conclusion was that Percy wasn't the man he had strived to appear to be.

The more answers she got, the more questions seem to pop up. As soon as she was out of the pitch, she Apparated back to the Aurors' headquarters and went back to the file on Percy. Maybe there was something in the past about Percy that she could draw a connection from. To her surprise, someone she hadn't expected was waiting for her.

"Hullo," said Fred with a brief wave of his hand. "No one knows I'm here."

Tonks gave him an encouraging smile. "Thanks from coming though. I know that this couldn't have been that easy for you. Please have a seat," she offered him the chair in front of her desk. He avoided looking at the picture of Percy she had on one of her cubicle walls.

After taking a seat, he sighed, "I went home this weekend to look at some of the repairs being made to the Burrow. We're fixing it up, so that when this is all over, it'll be nicer," said Fred. "I went up to Percy's room to look around a little. I don't know why."

"I just talked to Oliver Wood," offered Tonks. "He said that he doesn't know what happened. He wasn't the last person to see him that day, but probably the first. He left their flat at dawn." She didn't want to say anything about Percy's true intentions of leaving.

"He didn't pack up all his things. Mum doesn't know that Dad asked to go look for him. She thinks he's just not answering her owls. I can't stand seeing them like that. I was fine with just Mum, but now Dad. I went up to his room. It was kept the same way it was just as the day he walked out. He didn't take a lot of his stuff," said Fred in a flat voice. None of his narrative included his usually bravado. "He left behind the picture of his girlfriend. I realized that he must have broken up with her or something."

"Who is she? And how long did they date?" asked Tonks.

"Her name is Penelope Clearwater and she was in Ravenclaw. They starting dating his sixth year," replied Fred. "I think they might have broken up sometime after school ended because he was too busy with work."

"Do you think he maintained contact with her?" asked Tonks. Oliver hadn't said anything about Penelope.

"I don't know," admitted Fred. "I talked with George after you asked him your questions before, but he didn't mention Penelope. He said that I should come up and see you and tell her about it."

"Thanks," said Tonks as he got to his feet without announcing he was leaving. "I'll let you know what happens."

"Forget it about," muttered Fred as he walked out. Tonks stared at the chair for a moment again just before she got to her feet. She made her way to the hall of records again to look up anything on Penelope Clearwater.

It didn't take long for Tonks to find a record of Penelope Clearwater. She took the file with her back to her cubicle. Kingsley was there and he was waiting for her at her cubicle. "Were you waiting for me?" asked Tonks.

"I just had lunch with Arthur," said Kingsley. "We saw Fred on the way back, but he said he had to get back to the shop."

"Funny, I just got a lead from Fred. I just came back from the hall of records with Penelope Clearwater's file," said Tonks as she tapped the scroll of parchment. "Did you know that she was Percy's girlfriend in Hogwarts?"

"No, I didn't know he ever had one," answered Kingsley. "So, are you going to read it?"

Tonks took her seat. "Of course I am. It wasn't that hard to find. Let's see here," she said as she skimmed the beginning part. "Her parents are Muggles and she has an older sister. She graduated with top N.E.W.T. scores from Hogwarts and became an apprentice healer at St. Mungo's." Her brow furrowed as she put the parchment down.

"What is it?"

Tonks looked up at Kingsley as she whispered, "Penelope died a year ago."

* * *

AN: Oliver and Percy aren't a couple in this story. They are just flat mates and best friends because them being together as a couple is way too predictable. It's also unrealistic because they're never really mentioned together in the same page even in the books. I'm not against slash, but at the same time it has to be part of the original story before I write about it (i.e., I'll believe Harry and Ron as a couple before I believe Oliver and Percy as one). 

I hope that J.K. Rowling answers the question of how old Tonks is. I have a feeling she's around Bill's age, which was revealed in the FAQ of Rowling's official site. She had to correct the her answer from the chat. Bill is five years older than Percy, while Charlie is three years older.

Veritas will not be updated. Please don't ask that it will be. It will only irritate me and it won't make me update. I am also repeating myself. People need to read my profile. Sorry.

kirikarin. I do not own Harry Potter. This story belongs to me and cannot be posted anywhere else without my permission.


	5. Waking Dreams

Deconstruction

Chapter Five: Waking Dreams

He was back inside his white cell again. He always avoided sleeping because it was there that his dreams would attack him. The only time his mind was really clear was when he was talking to Dr. White, but she had already gone home. He was too much of a cynic to believe that she really believed what he was telling her. However, he was confident that he would make her a believer before it was over.

He was laying flat on his back as he raised his left arm to look at the scars on his wrist. He traced them with his right index finger before lowering both arms. He tipped his head back as far as he could as he closed his eyes in an effort to block out anything he could see. The lights were turned off at the same time every night and turned on the same time every day. He shifted onto his side after a few minutes.

In less than five minutes he was asleep, but he never slept for very long. He could stay awake for hours at time. None of the doctors ever took the time to prescribe that medication be given to him, and Dr. White said she was interested in any dreams he might have. He didn't want to tell her anything about the dreams that he had been experiencing, let alone discuss himself. That's what he hated about psychologists.

Dr. White wasn't the first psychologist or psychiatrist that he had ever encountered, but she was more doggedly determined to find out about him. She was pushy. A quality that at one point he would have admired because he had possessed this as well. Dr. White was very much like him. It would be a shame if she turned out anything like him in the end, but he doubted that would happen. There was something refreshingly innocent and deep; but also something ultimately sad about her. In truth, he wanted to know as much about her as much as she did about him. If only he didn't have to give her something in return for it.

She was very much like someone he had known before. Someone who was long dead and gone from him. He felt his chest contract in his sleep as he moved again to find a more comfortable position, surrendering to the constant exhaustion that he was feeling.

* * *

"She's dead?" said Kingsley as Tonks passed him the scroll. He read it more in depth. "It says here that she was murdered."

"Yes, in Muggle London. Her body was found outside her sister's flat, which was five stories up," whispered Tonks as she pulled out her quill and jotted done some notes into her notebook. "It seems that every lead I get, I end up in some kind of dead end. They led to no where." There was a hint of frustration in her voice.

"Maybe, you should check this out anyway," suggested Kingsley. "I mean it could lead to something. Did Oliver Wood say anything helpful? By what you just said, it sounds like he didn't."

"Nothing really. It's the same as everyone else, but a different perspective. It seems that he was closer to Percy than any of Percy's own relatives. Oliver could see things that they couldn't. That was something unexpected. He did say that Percy did have a change of behavior. He was more secretive, but he said it could have something to do with working under Fudge so closely." Tonks sighed to catch her breath as she continued, "He never mentioned Penelope either."

"Everyone has more depth once you start to look at them closely," said Kingsley. "You're making the mistake of assuming you know him, but you don't. Perhaps, you should look this up. Look up Penelope Clearwater." He shrugged. "You never know maybe her death was the reason why he became so secretive."

"Her murder was never solved by the Muggle police and her family are Muggles. They wouldn't know how to get hold of wizarding resources to look into it for them. I guess, I'll just have to investigate this myself," agreed Tonks as she put away her notebook and quill. "I'll have to go and check the place that processed her remains before they buried her and go and talk to the Clearwaters."

"Be tactful Tonks. Their grief is still fresh after a year," warned Kingsley.

"I always am," said Tonks with a slighty smile as she walked off. She donned her coat before beginning to walk off. "I'm going home and I'll start fresh tomorrow."

"Not so fast. I forgot to tell you that there's a meeting tonight," said Kingsley as he got to his feet. "I guess I got wrapped up in this, too."

"I don't know if I should go. I really don't want to tell them anything. Especially this," said Tonks as she shook her head.

"It's mandatory. Dumbledore ordered it."

Tonks sighed. She was tired, but she didn't have much of a choice. "Okay, okay. Let's go."

* * *

Molly Weasley busied herself, preparing the meal for the Order of Phoenix meeting. Charlie was helping her in the kitchen as Bill prepared the dining area. Her two oldest boys knew their ways around the kitchen because they used to help out when they were younger. However, both seemed distracted as they helped her tonight.

"Are you two all right?" she asked them again as Charlie absentmindedly continued to peel an already peeled carrot.

"We're fine," they said in unison. Bill, Charlie, Fred, and George had agreed not to say anything about Tonks' investigation to their mother because if she knew there was one, she would be hysterical. All of them always assumed that Percy was her favorite, even though she constantly said that she loved them all equally. Fred and George hadn't arrived yet, so they didn't have to face her yet.

They heard approaching footsteps. It was Tonks and Kingsley. Normally, Tonks was so quick to offer Molly any assistance she needed despite her clumsiness. However, Tonks held back as she greeted them, "Hullo Molly."

"Tonks, dear. It's good to see you. It's been a while since I've seen you," greet Molly fondly. "You must be very busy with your work."

"I am," said Tonks as she avoided looking at Bill or Charlie. "I'll just wait for dinner in the other room. If you'll excuse me." She made an almost obviously hasty exit from the kitchen without saying anything more.

"She must be tired," said Kingsley in a hurried tone. "So, what are you making for dinner?"

Tonks didn't hear anything else as she walked towards the meeting room where everyone would be having dinner and the meeting. It was there that she found Remus Lupin. He was sleeping with a book open on top of his chest. The spine told Tonks that it was one of those defense books that he frequently read as a way to come up with some defensive tactics for those in the Order.

Tonks quietly tried to make her way to her usual place at the table. Unfortunately, she accidentally ran into a corner table that had a vase on in it that fell, making loud crashing sound as it hit the marble floor, waking Remus. He woke with a start and smiled calmly at Tonks. "I was wondering when you'd get here."

"Oops," muttered Tonks as she took out her wand. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you, Remus. _Reparo_" The vase was put back together instantly and Tonks carefully placed it back on the table. Her cloak almost hit it again, but she was able to stop herself this time. She cursed under her breath.

"It's all right, Tonks," said Remus reassuringly. He got to her feet and walked up to her. "How are you doing?"

"I'm all right. I'm just really tired from work that's all," she replied.

Remus' eyes jotted around a bit at the door Tonks had entered from then the asked, "How are you along with finding him?"

"I guess Arthur told you?" said Tonks. "Not very far. What makes it so hard is that no one reported him missing for three months. That means that his trail has been cold for that long. And the more I look the more I find out that he might have left on his own. Just walk out on his life. How can anyone do that?"

"That's the perplexing part, isn't it?" asked Remus thoughtfully. "What do you think he did?"

"That's it. I don't know what he did," muttered Tonks as she raked her fingers through her hair. "The more answers, the more questions I get. It's like pulling weeds and finding more roots. His family's a dead end, so was his flat mate. And the only person who might have something has been dead for a year."

Remus' lips were in a thin line for a moment as he looked thoughtful. "Who might that be?"

"Maybe you know her. Or knew her from when you taught in Hogwarts. Penelope Clearwater," answered Tonks. "Tomorrow, I'm going to look into her murder. That was the Muggles' ruling anyway, but I still have to look into it. Maybe, the Clearwaters know something about him."

"Yes, I remember her," whispered Remus in a soft voice. His face was expressionless. "She was a very bright student from Ravenclaw. I didn't even know that they were dating. I had suspected it when I saw them in the halls, but I was too preoccupied with Harry at the time. She was head girl the same year that Percy was head boy."

"So, she was an overachiever, too?" said Tonks. "I looked up her records. She was training to be a healer at St. Mungo's." When Remus didn't say anything else, she glanced at him and asked, "It's hard to hear that one of your former students is dead, isn't it?"

"It's not the first time I've heard," replied Remus in an almost hollow voice. "How was she murdered?"

"Someone threw her out a five story window. They found her body at the bottom of the flat. Witnesses didn't see anyone suspicious at the time. That's what the small blurb on her records say. I'm not doubting the Muggles' techniques, but I don't think anyone from our side has looked into it."

"Until now."

Tonks looked at Remus and nodded, "Until now." He gave her an unreadable look as he closed his book shut. "Where are you going?" she asked in a quiet sort of voice. She had felt guilty about not talking to him very much. After Sirius had died, Tonks had given Remus so much space that it was hard to go back to the way they were before.

"To put this back in the library," he replied as he held up the book. Tonks settled into her chair and closed her eyes. She wasn't kidding when she said she was tired. Someone coming in kept her from dozing off all together.

"I'm sorry," said Arthur in an apologetic tone. He looked as tired as she did. His presence made her sit up immediately. "But I wanted to talk to you before the meeting."

Tonks sat up a bit. "I know," she said softly. "I'm sorry, but I'm not that far along. In fact, there hasn't been anything to report. His flat mate, Oliver Wood, said that he had moved all of his things out before he resigned."

"You mean that Percy meant to leave?" questioned Arthur in a shocked voice. "Oliver Wood was his flat mate?"

"They were also best mates when they were in Hogwarts. That's why no one reported him missing any time earlier," answered Tonks. She was carefully not using Percy's name, even though Arthur had slipped up. She didn't want anyone coming and hearing anything they shouldn't have, especially the rest of the family. "If he had left without saying anything, then Oliver would have reported him missing for sure."

"Did you talk to him directly?" asked Arthur. His voice sounded more anxious now.

"Yes, and from what Oliver said he had intentions of leaving on his own free will," repeated Tonks. She put her hand in her pocket over her notebook. It was the only thing that contained her notes of the ongoing investigation.

"I see," murmured Arthur. "Is there anything else?"

"I'm still looking at other leads. I promise to tell you anything important that I find," said Tonks solemnly. It really wasn't lie just a half truth. She was a good liar. If one was good at spotting a liar, one also had to be a good one to start with or develop the skill to become one. Tonks was knowingly withholding information from Arthur and the guilt was already starting to eat at her. But judging by how the eldest Weasley children were acting, she had a feeling that she wasn't the only one withholding information. Molly was completely in the dark.

"Thanks again for looking into this," said Arthur as he got to his feet. "I'm going back to the kitchen to see how dinner is coming along. Care to join me?"

Tonks shook her head as she looked around her. It was very rare that she was alone in the great dining hall of 12 Grimmauld Place. The house had gone to Harry upon the death of Sirius Black. Despite, being a Black by blood, Tonks had never really been on any of her mother's family's property until the previous year. She only came because of Sirius and with him gone, it seemed pointless to her. It hurt her to be there. She hated coming to the meetings because Sirius wasn't there.

There was something about Percy that just made Tonks think that there was something wrong with him. Something had troubled him. The only thing she didn't understand was how anyone would walk away from their life without so much an explanation? Nothing had indicated that he was unhappy, except for when he reported Fudge. Tonks had a bad feeling that Percy's actions had made him a lot of enemies. Perhaps, he ran because he knew that people were going to come after him. Why didn't he just ask for protection? The answer was simple. He didn't trust anyone. What a horrible way to live.

Tonks pulled out her notebook and started to look through it again. She read her carefully written notes. She had a page set aside for theories, but there wasn't anything written in it because she couldn't think of anything. She couldn't think of anything to write, so she wrote her one question on page in a single word, "Why?" That was all she could do. She didn't care about the how or the when. None of them would give her the answers she required.

The meeting began before Tonks knew it. Everyone who had gathered for the meeting talked about the latest news regarding Voldemort and his Death Eaters. At one point in the meeting, Kingsley made the usual announcement.

"Not all of the Death Eaters who escaped from Azkaban are accounted for," he said in his usual deep tone. "The last though is closing as we speak."

Tonks found herself drafting, wishing she was tucked into bed. Of course, she knew not all the Death Eaters were accounted for. Some of them were her relatives by marriage or blood one way or another. She couldn't deny it. The Weasleys had a better chance of denying it than she did. The only person who could have understood that had been Sirius.

At the end of the meeting, Tonks got to her feet and quickly made her way out of the house. She had to escape to avoid answering any questions and she didn't want to linger there any longer than she had to. She didn't really say goodbye to anyone.

When Tonks Apparated home, she felt very much alone. She took a long hot shower and when she emerged from the steamy bathroom, she looked outside at the moonless sky. Tonks saw where she had laid her notebook. It was sitting on the nightstand next to the quill and pen. The sky was empty. She couldn't see any stars.

What was all of this for anyway?

* * *

Still as the grave. To him that was always a funny kind of saying. He was wide awake again, having only slept two hours into the night. His eyes were closed, but he was still awake, the noise in the night was sometimes unbearable. He didn't know what was worst total and utter silence or noise.

In his dreams, he walks down the same cold, corridor. He enters the same room with the bright lights. The hospital wasn't any different from what he saw in his dreams. Someone calls him by name there. No one in the hospital calls him by his name. He doesn't have one here. It had been so long since someone had called him by his name that it almost faded away into memory. For nearly twenty years, he had his name. It was his name that people judged him by. It didn't define who he really was. Nor the man he was going to be. Or rather, the man he was now. A shell of a former person.

No. That wasn't the true. He had been living a lie for so long. He had spent a good amount of his life keeping up appearances, even in front of people who already knew him. It was his shield. His defense mechanism against the world to keep people from getting too close. Close enough to hurt him. How could they hurt him, if they didn't really know him? How could they know his vulnerabilities?

Within the four walls of his cell, he was safe and sounded. There was nothing that could hurt him, but he was wrong. Someone could still hurt him. Himself. He was too foolish to realize that. In truth, there was no place for him to go. No where to run. Wherever he went, his nightmares would follow him.

He was almost asleep again, but something jolted him from the peace he needed. It was the vision of a decaying hand, reaching for him. He sat up, feeling his senses going into overdrive. He was gasping for air. He collapsed again, curling into a fetal position, pulling the blankets over his head to create a protective cocoon.

Time was relative to him. His world had already been destroyed by his own making. He had sacrificed everything he had only to end up with nothing. All he had to do was wait. Before long, he could be able to forget about himself.

After all, time was relative, but it could also heal most wounds.

* * *

Gwen White had settled down for the evening. She had spent a quiet evening at home, reading and writing up some of her reports from work. It was a dull life, but satisfactory nonetheless. There was very little she could complain about. Then again, there wasn't much going on anyway. Gwen hadn't been living in England all that long, but she had already slipped into the pattern she had been in before.

After enjoying a mug of chamomile tea, she was about ready to go bed when she noticed the picture that was sitting on her mantel above her fireplace. It was the first thing she had unpacked when she had arrived in England. It was a picture of her and her mother. The picture always made her sad because it was the last one she had ever taken with her mother.

Gwen's patient wasn't wrong when he said that she fell into her line of work because of something that had happened to her in the past. Most people did. Gwen's mother was the reason why she did her research almost exclusively on depression and suicide. She hardly ever talked about her mother to anyone, not even her closest friends.

It had started very oddly. Her mother was a socialite, while her father was one of the leading psychiatrist in the Los Angeles. He was always busy working, while her mother had set out to be a leading example of domestic life in the suburb that they lived in. Her mother was always a perfectionist. That wasn't uncommon among those who developed depression or obsessive compulsive disorder.

Then, one day, her mother started to feel sad. It came without warning and reason. Gwen watched as her mother slowly deteriorated over a matter of months. Gwen could feel it, too, sometimes. The overwhelming feeling of hopelessness, but it was much worse than that. It fed off of Gwen's mother like a parasite.

There was something that he had said before. Her patient had mentioned the Dementors, even though Gwen hadn't taken notes that day it had stuck with her. He said they fed on the spirits of people. Souls of people until there wasn't very much left. Even people who weren't wizards could sometimes sense them. Gwen rubbed her arms, feeling the fine hairs on the back of her neck stand on end as she gazed at the picture of her mother. The smile on her face wasn't real.

Her mother had felt utterly hopeless. Not even her own family could save her from it. The power of what was happening to her was too strong. Too powerful. Gwen swallowed a sob and looked away.

It was at that moment that Gwen realized that was starting to believe him. He wasn't lying. He wasn't insane. What had happened to her mother wasn't just an unexplained chemical imbalance or memories and traumas repressed from the past. No. It was something more sinister. Gwen could see it. She reached out her finger to touched what it was in her mother's eyes. A reflection of what she had been seeing before she had poisoned herself, leaving Gwen alone in the world.

She was going to help him. If she helped him, he could help her understand her own demons and nightmares. That was if she could reach him in time.

* * *

AN: I've been putting together the soundtrack for this fic like I do with all the other fics. Music that I listen to as I write any particular fic. Jem's 24 as the mental ward patient is trying to go to sleep. There are four characters that will be deeply explored in this story: Percy, Tonks, Oliver, and the only original character who will be dove deep into is Gwen White. I also left room for a slight mystery that if anyone else catches on to, I'll be impressed.

kirikarin. livejournal. Com (take out the spaces)

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. This story belongs to me and cannot be posted anywhere else without my permission.


	6. Penelope’s Last Day

Deconstruction

Chapter Six: Penelope's Last Day

Bright and early the following morning, Tonks woke up early and prepared to venture off into the Muggle world. As an Auror, Tonks had the appropriate identification she needed to go off to see the Muggle authorities. She carefully dressed in Muggle clothes and donned a regular coat rather than a cloak. She had taken the liberty of getting the information regarding the murder of Penelope Clearwater. Tonks had to send for the information from a source within the police department and it took almost overnight before an owl came with the package. She didn't bother to tell her source her real reason for looking into Penelope's death, so nothing was noted or highlight.

The local metropolitan police were the ones who had investigate the murder. Her autopsy was preformed in the London morgue. Tonks didn't have as much time to read it all, so she opted to read it over the morning paper. The person who had put together the report had obviously done it in the order of how the paperwork was received. Right away the first piece of paper leaped at her.

It was the death certificate. There was the signature of the coroner who had done the autopsy and declared the cause of death. The Muggles require that someone identify the body before it could be released. There was a very familiar signature on the form. One that Tonks had seen time and time again. It was Percy's. He had been the one called in to identify the Penelope's body and he had signed the form for the death certificate.

Tonks pulled out the letter of resignation from Percy's file and placed it side by side with the Muggle document. The signatures matched. There were some differences, but that was normal because no person ever signed his or her signature the same way every single time. Tonks put those down and started looking through the rest of the paperwork. The only way a person could be contacted in the event of another's death is if the person who dies has the former listed as a contact. She knew that Penelope had identification papers in the Muggle world because she was a Muggle-born witch.

It was at the bottom of the pile of papers. She read it and saw who was listed. It was very odd indeed. Penelope hadn't listed any member of her family, but rather she had listed two names: Percy Weasley and Alistair Xavier. Tonks rubbed her temples at that moment. Who was Alistair Xavier? She was going to have to find out who he was, too.

Another set of questions was already rearing its ugly head. Tonks had her notebook out and wrote in to it. She added to the questions she was going to ask the Clearwater family and the police. Now, she added questions for the coroner because he or she had to have meet with Percy in order to get the signature. She decided that it was the best place to start at.

Tonks read the coroner's report. Penelope had fallen out of her sister's flat, which she was staying at time. She had fallen five stories and hit the sidewalk. It was the middle of the day just after lunch. So many witnesses had seen her hit the ground. There was broken glass everywhere along with blood. The strangest thing was that no one had seen who had done it.

The coroner didn't rule it as suicide, but as a homicide. Penelope showed signs of defensive wounds and there were marks of a struggle as noticed in the police report. The fact of the matter was Penelope had been forcefully pushed out of a window. The way she landed was not typical of a suicide. There was no note and no indications of depression or otherwise. Those were written in the police report.

There were pictures from the murder. Tonks gazed at them. Penelope was frozen in time and that was what she hated about Muggle photographs. But it didn't matter if the pictures moved or not. Penelope would be dead and lying still. She looked so innocent and fragile. It was almost like a painting.

Tonks was already dressed and ready to go. She had decided it was best to go and interview the coroner first, then the police, and finally the Clearwaters. The families were always hard to deal with. Tonks couldn't possibly even imagine what it was like for the Clearwaters to lose a daughter under such circumstances. With one last swig of coffee, Tonks was out the door.

Tonks arrived at the morgue shortly after eight. It didn't matter what kind of morgue it was. She could feel a tremor of fear run through her as she squared her shoulders and went up to the reception desk. She cleared her throat before she spoke, "My name is Tonks. I'm from a special division of Scotland Yard. I'm looking into some of the old cold cases." She flashed her identification for only a second.

The person didn't really read it. He was wearing a pair of glasses that were sliding down the ridge of his nose. He barely looked up from his paperwork. Tonks had taken the liberty of changing her appearance to match the photograph. Currently, she was a blond bombshell with sparkling green-blue eyes with the smile to match. His glasses seem to fog up as he looked at her. "How many—I mean may—I help you?" he managed to squeak.

"I would like to talk to Dr. Prescott about a murder that happened about a year ago," replied Tonks. "He did the autopsy. It was the murder of a young woman. Early twenties, fell out of a five story apartment in broad daylight."

"I remember that case," said a voice of an elderly gently man some light blue scrubs. He had face mask around his neck. "Hello, I'm Drew Prescott. It's been a while since someone has come here asking about her."

"I know. I'm looking into some of the old case files. I wanted to ask you a few questions regarding the autopsy."

"I'd be more than happy to help as soon as I see some I.D."

Tonks flashed her I.D. again, but this time the doctor looked more cautiously at it. He nodded after a moment. "What do you want to know?" he asked.

"I read the autopsy report and I know that it was ruled a homicide. Now, there's a lot of medical jargon in this report. I wanted to clarify a few things," answered Tonks as she handed the copy of her report. "If you don't mind, I'd like to see the original. There's something I need to check out."

"I was going to go to my office and look for it anyway. I hate looking at copies," said Dr. Prescott as he gestured for her to walk with him to his office. "What is it that you need to check?"

"I don't know until I see it," replied Tonks. When they came to the office, Tonks took a seat while he went through some filing cabinets. The coroner used a different sorting system than normal, so Tonks paid attention in case she had to returned to look for some files later.

"Here you go," said Dr. Prescott. "Penelope Clearwater."

"Where's the copy of her death certificate?" asked Tonks noticing that the paper wasn't there.

Dr. Prescott answered, "City Hall. Those get turn in for public record. Why?" He handed her the report with the folder open.

There was another piece of paper with Percy's signature on it. "I was wondering about this person. The one who came to identify body. Did you notice anything about him?"

Dr. Prescott was in deep thought for a moment. "I was the one who place the call to him. It was a cell phone number, so I left a message in the voicemail. He got back to me within six hours and I told him the news. He came less than an hour later to identify the body. I don't normally ask how people are attached to each other unless it was listed."

"What about the other name on the list? Did you get a hold of him?"

"That was the odd thing," said Dr. Prescott as he sighed. "There was no contact number for the other."

"Oh," said Tonks. She should have known it wasn't going to be that easy for her to find out who Alistair Xavier was. "What can you tell me about the one who identified the body?"

"He came in. I think it was the first time he had ever seen anyone he knew dead before," replied Dr. Prescott. He looked weary at the moment. "If you've been in my line of work for as long as I have been, you can tell by just looking at them. When he came in, he asked to see her immediately. I had a white cloth over the body and he was the one who pulled it down. He stopped at just the neck. He was so careful not to touch her."

"Did he give verbal confirmation that it was her? Did he show any emotion?"

"Hardly any. But, he did verbally confirm and nodded that it was her. People react to death differently. I believe he was in shock. He took of his glasses at one point after he gave his confirmation. I think he was trying not to cry."

Tonks didn't write that part down in her notebook. She had a regular pen and wrote some notes as the interview went along. "Did he look like this?" she asked as she offered the photograph from Percy's file that she had frozen.

Dr. Prescott nodded as he looked at it. "That's him."

"Did he ask how she died?" asked Tonks as she took the picture back and put it away. "I mean was he interested in the details of her murder."

Dr. Prescott decided to ask her a question instead, "I thought that you were asking about Penelope Clearwater. Why are you asking about the person who identified her?"

Tonks stared at him for a second as she decided whether or not it was best to answer the question and level with him or tell him nothing at all and lie. "Because he went missing more than three months ago."

"Do you think he killed her?" asked Dr. Prescott.

"I don't know what to think," answered Tonks truthfully as she looked him in the eye. "Dr. Prescott, what was your personal opinion of him? I'm not talking a professional assessment, but I would like to know how you really felt about him."

Dr. Prescott sighed. He gave his opinion, "Considering the circumstances that I met him under, I can't begin to judge what kind of person he was. But I saw the way he looked at her. He cared about her, but I don't think he was the one who killed her."

"Thank you, Dr. Prescott," said Tonks as she got to her feet. "I have to get going."

"Have a nice day, Inspector," he said to her.

"You, too," she said as she concluded the meeting and left the coroner's office. She now had to turn her attention to the police to find out what they knew. It was time for her to change her identification once again along with her appearance. She went to the ladies room of a department store and changed her appearance accordingly. She now had light brown hair and light blue eyes. Tonks was now a private investigator for the Clearwater family.

She walked into the police station and was able to quickly use the contact in there to get an interview with the lead investigator of the murder. The lead investigator was a short, strawberry blonde woman with blue eyes. She was small, but powerful as she ordered some of the younger officers off.

"You're the private investigator that the Clearwaters hired?" asked the woman. Tonks took an immediate liking to her no nonsense approach. "I'm Inspector Deirdre Lawson. Who might you be?"

"Tonks," replied Tonks as she offered her identification. "I was hoping that you could answer some questions for me."

"I don't really like private investigators. If they were any good, they would be real police officers. Some of your kind tends to prey on the grief of others," pointed out Inspector Lawson quite cynical.

Tonks nodded and licked her lip as she went on, "That might be true. But at least my kind doesn't give up so easily. You tend to quit when the answers don't come fast enough. When all the leads become cold or when new case come in, the families have nothing left, but their grief. My job is to give people piece of mind. It's all they have left."

Inspector Lawson regarded Tonks coolly. She nostrils flared as she glared at Tonks. "What are your questions?"

"I want to know how she died," replied Tonks simply.

Inspector Lawson didn't bother to pull the file. "It was one of the messiest crime scenes I've ever seen. You don't forget a thing like that. It looked like she had been thrown around the room. Things were knocked off shelves. Someone wanted her dead. Someone hated her."

"According to the autopsy report, she wasn't sexually assaulted," pointed out Tonks. "So, you concluded that someone hated her based on the brutality of the attack."

"Our forensic team measured the amount of force it would have taken for Penelope Clearwater to be pushed out of the window with it closed and we also looked at the impact of her body made on the sidewalk. There were cracks on it."

"And it wasn't gravity alone?"

"No. She wasn't just simply pushed out the window. She was thrown out at a great speed and force. It's a horrible way to die."

"Did you have any suspects?"

Inspector Lawson stared Tonks down for a good second before she replied, "No. That was the odd thing. The Clearwaters just want to bury their daughter. That's why I think it's strange that they'd get a private investigator."

"You think they were withholding information regarding their daughter?"

"Perhaps. Maybe, they knew something about her that they didn't want exposed about her. They wanted to protect her privacy, even if it meant her killer would remain at large, to kill again."

Tonks thought about it and knew that it was because Penelope was a witch. Her parents didn't want the world that her daughter was a part of exposed to the rest of the Muggle world. Yet, they didn't know what resources in the wizarding world would help them. Tonks had to get out of the police station and see the Clearwaters as soon as possible, but she wanted to make a stop at the site where Penelope was found.

"Was there anything else peculiar?"

"Yes, there were a lot of peculiar things other than her parents. I knew it was personal because nothing was taken from the apartment. It was her sister's flat and she was only staying there because her sister was in Paris studying abroad at the time. She had no defensive wounds, but at the same time her body had lots of bruising on it. That's why things were knocked off shelves. The neighbors below said that they heard all the slamming around before she was out the window. There was no physical evidence left behind. Not a trace of it. No footprints either. And no one saw anyone go and out the building. There were so many witnesses and there was only one way in and out the building. I mean other than out the window."

Tonks jotted down some of the facts that she could gather, then she asked, "Why wasn't think nothing was taken? Or do you think that attack was specifically against her?"

"For one thing, she hadn't been there that long. A couple of days tops," answered Inspector Lawson. "I got the feeling that there was a cover up going on in her family and that her move to her sister's apartment was because something was out to get her. I'd say that Clearwater is pretty peculiar herself. She has almost nothing on her except a birth certificate and a bank account opened by her parents when she was born. According to her file, she had attended the same elementary school as her sister, but when she turned eleven she went to some kind of exclusive prep school."

Tonks knew what school the Inspector was referring to. "What was so strange about that?"

"There were no records of the school," answered Inspector Lawson.

"What about the person who signed the papers to identify her body?"

Inspector Lawson shrugged. "There wasn't much to say. I didn't even get a chance to really talk to him. Never even met him. You know most people put a member of their family in case they have to be notified, but she listed two people who weren't even family. I guess it spared her family from having to go down to I.D. the body."

"Are you sure?" asked Tonks as she showed Percy's picture. Inspector Lawson shook her head at it. "You've never seen him before?"

"Never," replied Inspector Lawson. "Why?"

"I was thinking the same thing that you were. He wasn't a blood relative and he wasn't her husband either, so why was he listed as the person to notify along with someone else," stated Tonks. She looked pensive for a moment.

The telephone ringing snapped Tonks back to attention. Inspector Lawson held up a finger to signal her to be quiet as she answered it. It was a very brief call. "I have to go," she said as she got to her feet. Tonks followed suit and was ready to leave just before Inspector Lawson said to her, "If you're just preying on some poor family's grief, there will no end of the grief that I'll give you." She soundly stared down Tonks.

"I'm not," whispered Tonks. "Thank you for you time and good luck."

Inspector Lawson only nodded. Tonks said in a louder voice, "I can show myself out."

Before going to see the Clearwaters, she stopped at a restaurant to grab a bite to eat and to call the Clearwaters to ask if she could drop by. The phone was answered by a younger woman who said that she was Penelope's sister, Helena. The sister sounded a bit startled at the call and was going to hang up, but Tonks said something that gave away partly who she really was. Helena said that she'd be happy to meet with Tonks, but she wanted to keep her parents out of the way.

Tonks agreed to it. Even though she was an only child, she knew that siblings kept secrets together. Sometimes parents just didn't know what was going on, but there was a good chance that the sibling did. So, she decided that she would settle to meet with Penelope's sister. They agreed to meet at a public park during Helena's lunch time.

Glancing at the clock in the restaurant, Tonks didn't have much time to get there on time, if she didn't Apparate. She went out into an alleyway and consulted a map of London to find the park that Helena told her about. She had to find place to safely Apparate to, so that no one could see her.

When she finally arrived at the park, she went looking for Helena. She was supposed to be somewhere on a park bench waiting for her. Tonks walked around in her natural appearance. Taking a deep breath, she walked around the park until she found someone sitting by herself. She resembled Penelope to a degree. Tonks took another deep breath as she walked up to her.

"Hello. I'm Tonks. I called you on the phone, Miss Clearwater," said Tonks as she took a seat next to her.

The young woman looked at her. Her hair color was lighter than Penelope's and more wavy. The curls weren't as tight as Penelope. Her eyes were also lighter in color as she turned her heads to look at Tonks. "You're the investigator from there? Call me, Helena," she whispered.

"I know this is hard, but I was wondering why no one told us about happened," said Tonks.

Helena glanced at her. Her eyes looked like they were filling with tears. "I thought you people would have known. Percy was one of you, wasn't he? He came to us after she died. He was the one who signed the papers and told us. No one called us when she died. He came."

"I'm sorry but he never got the chance to inform us of your sister's death," said Tonks calmly. "He's gone missing. No one has seen him in months."

Helena had a startled look on her face as she shook her head. "What is it that you need to know?"

"I need to know what you think happened to her."

"Isn't obvious?" whispered Helena. "Someone from your neck of the woods killed her. We didn't want to let the police continue looking. We didn't want to answer all the questions that would come up about her. We had to keep everything covered up. My parents wanted to contact the lot of you, but we didn't know who to contact."

"I'm going to look into your sister's death. I promise."

Helena glared at her for a moment. "None of you bothered to look for a year? You just ignored her. And now you care because someone else is gone?" she spat her words out angrily. Tears slid down her cheeks. "I was away in Paris, studying literature. I came home to my flat and found it in ruins. The police didn't even look through everything. Do you know where I found her wand?"

Tonks shook her head as Helena answered, "I found it tucked away in her purse. It was never taken out. The police had look through it to find out who she was, but they left the wand there. They must have thought it was a strange pencil or something." She wiped the tears away from her cheek, forcefully.

"Did you see him at all?"

"I never met him. I heard about Percy from my sister, but after her schooling was over there was nothing more. I didn't hear of him again until he dropped by to see my parents to give them the news about her," answered Helena. She shook her head. Tonks could tell that she was furious at herself for losing her composure. "I came home immediately after by crossing the channel. I had to. And now he's gone? What happened to him?"

"No one knows. I'm looking into it," replied Tonks. "It might be tied to your sister's murder, but I can't be sure." She paused for a moment to allow Helena to catch her bearings and to put her own thoughts in order. "By the way, did you know that no member of your family was listed as the party to contact in case of an accident or death? Why is that?"

Helena shook her head. "I didn't know that Penny did that. She never really talked about her life on the other side because she didn't think we'd understand. I think that she was partly right, so she put Percy down."

"But she put someone else down, too," corrected Tonks. "Someone by the name of Alistair Xavier. Have you ever even heard of him?"

Helena shook her head again, "No, I haven't heard of him. I didn't even know he was also listed. He must be one you though." There was something ominous about the way that she was reacting to the news. There was a hint that she might have known that something was wrong with her sister, but she was too afraid to admit there might have been a problem.

"Did you know that your sister was in any danger? Did she have any enemies that you knew of?" pressed Tonks as gently as possible.

"Like I told you, I didn't know much about my sister's life. That is something I will regret for the rest of my life," whispered Helena as she turned her head to face Tonks. "But I knew that she was spooked. She called me before she went to my place asking me where the spare key was. She said she needed to have a place to stay for a few days. The last time I heard from her was two days before she died. Penny asked if I was coming back any time soon, and when I said I wasn't, she sounded almost relieved."

"Did you ask her what was wrong?"

"I didn't think there was anything wrong, but now when I think of it that's all I can think of. There was something or someone after her. It has to be from your end of things. She barely kept a life with our family and with the rest of us," answered Helena. She dug through her pockets for a tissue and found one. "Please find out who killed her."

"Yes," murmured Tonks, getting the feeling that was Helena's way of concluding the meeting, "Is there anything else?"

"Don't let anyone lead or fool you down the wrong way," she warned. "Maybe, something did happen to him. For the sake of his family, I hope not." Her voice was gone by the last word.

Tonks nodded as she got to her feet. Before she left, she sincerely said, "You have no idea how sorry I am." Helena didn't even turn to look at her with that Tonks departed.

* * *

Dr. White had arrived a little later than normal on purpose the following morning. She had given notice that her patient was to do some art therapy that morning after breakfast. She was interested in seeing some more pictures of his. It was the best way for him to express himself and it was something tangible, giving her a window into his psyche.

When she had arrived, she found out from one of the nurses that he was still in the art room. Apparently, he started sketching a picture that he just had to watercolor. He was busy with it. That was exactly how Dr. White found him when she walked in. Everyone had cleared the room already and were outside or in their rooms. Others were having their sessions with their doctors.

"Don't you want to go outside today?" she asked quietly from the doorway.

"Not today," he murmured without turning to greet her. He was carefully painting the picture. She walked up behind him and saw what he was painting with delicate strokes.

It was a painting of a girl, lying in a pool of water, surrounded by flowers. It was reminiscent of the painting of Ophelia from Shakespeare's _Hamlet_, but it wasn't an exact replica of that painting. The girl looked like she was sleeping or dead. The dress that he had painted on her was covering her body, but it was unraveling. The threads of the dress were laced into her right hand as if she had pulled the threads.

"Who is she?" whispered Dr. White.

He paused for a moment in mid stroke. Then, he started painting again. Dr. White looked for a chair and took it. She sat down next to him. She watched him as he painted the girl's face with short strokes. "Was she someone you knew?" asked Dr. White.

"Yes," he whispered. "She was someone I knew." His voice sounded harsh and sad. There was pain in it.

"She's gone, isn't she?" asked Dr. White quietly.

He put the paint palette down and the brush. Staring at the picture, he whispered, "Long gone. She's in a safer place than me right now. A place where no one could hurt her." He lifted his left hand for a moment. It was trembling. He swallowed hard as he gazed. "That is the way I wish to remember her."

Dr. White placed her hand over his to calm him. "I'm sorry," she whispered in a soothing tone. "I'm very sorry." And for the first time in weeks, they had lapsed into a silence. There was nothing worth discussing that day.

* * *

AN: I moved the last hunk down. It was right after the section about Tonks finishing breakfast and before going off to see the coroner. I thought it looked better, but I'm not so sure of it. 

kirikarin. I do not own Harry Potter. This story belongs to me and cannot be posted anywhere else without my permission.


	7. Three Weeks

Deconstruction

Chapter Seven: Three Weeks

Dr. White and her patient were walking along the grounds. It had taken weeks before she was able to convince him to just walk with her. It was as if the day in the art room had never happened at all. It was just two days ago that they had spent their entire session in the art room without him or her saying much. Dr. White was grateful that he had agreed to a change of venue, and they were finally walking around the grounds.

His gait was long because of his height and the length of his legs. He moved with grace, and this only made Dr. White feel even more ungraceful in the process. It was like walking with an antelope . Dr. White felt as graceful as a warthog as she tried to keep up with him without looking like she was putting so much effort into it. It didn't take him long to notice, so he shortened his steps and adjusted his speed for her.

"Do all of these kinds of places look like this?" he asked out loud.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean all this greenery and people going out and about like this. This isn't how it is everywhere, is it?"

"I suppose not. This was long before we realized how inhumane it was to keep people pent up like animals," replied Dr. White, as she recalled her old psychology classes and the pictures of people in boxes.

He looked around him and breathed in the air, "My people could learn a thing or two from your kind."

"They don't treat their mentally ill that well?"

He shook his head and then he cocked his head sideways slightly before he replied, "You could say that. My kind can heal more than your kind, but they tend to give up if the treatments don't take right away. Or if something is beyond what they can do. What you and I do together may seem like a waste of time to them, but it has been helpful."

Dr. White couldn't help but smile. Feeling gratified for her efforts, she said, "I'm glad you feel that way." She didn't really know if any of what she was doing did any good. She sighed as she looked around. "It won't be like this for long. The leaves are already falling."

"Yes," he agreed as he looked around, nodding nodded. "I would have to agree with you on that. I like the fall season the best. It is a time of change. Everything dies during this time."

"That's not true. Winter is when everything's dead," argued Dr. White. "Of course, where I come from it's practically summer all year around. I've never really had a chance to experience the four seasons until I came to England."

"Actually, that's the point, isn't it?" he paused when she gave him quizzical look, he continued, "It's during the fall season when everything dies, by the time it gets to winter everything's already dead."

Dr. White tucked stray lock of her bangs were in her eyes. Part of her wished that she could shield her white coat because it felt rather cumbersome. For the walk outside, her patient had been outfitted with one of those cotton terry robes that most of the patients were wearing. He was probably much more comfortable than she was.

"I grew up in Southern California. Los Angeles. The land of make believe," revealed Dr. White with a wiggling of her fingers for effect.

"Movies and the like I suppose," he said with a side glance at her. "I didn't use to know much about all that until I took a class in school."

Dr. White found everything he said a little hard to swallow at first. He did greet a lot of things with genuine, first time curiosity. Either he had a lot of imagination or what he was saying about his world was true. Dr. White did a real background check on him, and found no information. This was the post-modern information age and everyone was supposed to have some kind of paperwork that linked to various things.

The background on her patient was foggy. He had come into the hospital from a public ward. The mental hospital had some kind of grant that allowed long term patients who couldn't afford care, but for some odd reason every bill was paid privately by an unknown source. He was identified by a number that was assigned to each patient to protect their privacy. He wasn't one of those poor patients, so someone had to know who he really was. Yet, there was no name and not much information given other than what Dr. White could physical see and what was written on his file.

The hospital that he first came from reported that he had turned himself in, seeking help. When the staff tried to assist him, he lost control and caused a ruckus to the point where he had to be restrained. When security had arrived, they found no identification on him and one of the doctors, Maya Shah, decided that he did need help. He was admitted at that doctor's orders. After less than a week, he was transferred to the current hospital.

Dr. White wondered if she should contact the other doctors, but they all seemed to have matching opinions. She didn't really read all of their comments until after a few sessions with her patient because she didn't want their opinions tainting her personal opinion of him. She could tell that he was a good man, but one who a broken one.

"Did you ever just want to escape from where you were?" he asked without looking at her. "Just find a safe place to be for a while?"

"Yes," she replied, thinking of the moments she had felt like that. They were frequent moments, so she could relate to the question quite readily. "You said before that you weren't safe anywhere. Not even here. That safety was a state of mind more or less."

"Ah, you're learning. Or at least, you're starting to memorize," he complimented with a patronizing tone. "Tell me, where do you feel safest, Dr. White?"

Dr. White once again was at the end of an analysis. "I suppose at home."

"That's where most people feel safe," he agreed. "But what about people? Who do you trust? Who do you feel safe with?"

"By myself," she replied after a second to think of it.

He shook his head. "That's not really what I meant. And just when I thought we were reaching some kind of understanding, Dr. White." He returned his normal speed and walked ahead of her, surprising her.

* * *

Things were more twisted and convoluted than ever for Tonks. What started out simply enough had become a mess. There was Percy who was still missing and there were no definite leads on where to find him. Then, there was Penelope who was murdered in cold blood in broad daylight. Finally, there was Alistair Xavier who was just brought out of the woodwork, and now Tonks had to look for information on him and somehow link him directly to Percy. 

Tonks returned to the office with a heavy heart the day following her meeting with Helena. She had the whole night to moll over the latest information. By the time she had arrived at the office, she was greeted with Kingsley who noticed how tired she was. Before she had a chance to put her things down, he already had a cup of tea for her. She accepted it gratefully, "Thanks."

"So, how'd it go yesterday?"

"Percy did identify the body, but he was never questioned regarding the murder. Did you know that Penelope Clearwater's family had no way of contacting any of the authorities from this end to investigate? They requested the Muggles not search for the truth because they had a feeling that it was from our end of things."

Kingsley looked a bit confused as he shook his head, "But if Percy was the one who identified the body, then why didn't he report it? She died over a year ago and he was still working in the Ministry."

"That's yet another mystery in huge ball of it that I have on my hands," said Tonks frustrated as she gestured with her hands. "What was he really up to?"

"Maybe, you should retract your steps a bit? Go back to Percy and look at him more directly without looking at the other people so much," suggested Kingsley. "Do you want some help?"

"Yeah, I could use some," admitted Tonks. "There was the other name on the list of people to be contacted in case of an accident or death on Penelope's file, Alistair Xavier."

"Do you want me to look him up for you?" offered Kingsley. "I can look up the information for you and if you want I could go and interview him."

"I'd rather do the interviewing myself," said Tonks. "But would you really mind looking up the information?"

"Of course not," answered Kingsley. "I'll get right on it."

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

Tonks often relied on Kingsley's experience and wisdom in such matters, so she decided to take his advice and to go back to the personnel files more deeply. There was one thing missing in the file and they were the timecards. There was a careful accounting of each employee's arrival at work, lunch, break, and departure. They were kept some place else, so Tonks got to her feet and went off to go and get the timecard.

She requested it and was carefully reading it. Percy was consistent if not anything else. There were pages and pages to go through. Percy always came early and left late. Sometimes, he took his lunches late. That was when he was under Crouch. There was a time when he was working more hours, but that was easily explained. During that first year, Percy had never taken a day off unless it was a holiday for the Ministry.

The following year was a different story though. There were instants where Percy had been gone for weeks at a time. There was a solid three weeks. It was a requested vacation either and then there were days off between that time and the day he resigned. There wasn't even an afternoon off the day that Penelope died. No time off after that.

Now, the time he took off was something that was interesting. There was no real pattern to it, but Tonks was surprised that Percy hadn't been fired by Fudge for not showing up for three weeks. There was no explanation given for it either. No note from a healer either. Fudge had good reason to keep Percy though because he knew about Fudge's corruption from the beginning. The question was what was Percy doing during all that time off? Why would he suddenly take three weeks off after never taking any time off before?

Tonks decided it was time to question some of the staff at the Ministry itself. Just because Percy wasn't the friendliest person in the world, didn't mean that people wouldn't have noticed that he was gone. Tonks cross referenced his file with others to figure out who was working around him at during the time. There were a few names that came up. She eliminated those who no longer worked for the Ministry and those who weren't working at Fudge's office at the same time. The name that remained was the name of one of the other assistants, Coral Smith. She used to be one of the paper pushers under Percy. Even though he was the assistant to Fudge, she was sort like his secretary. She was now the secretary to Minister Diggory.

After taking a brief break to get something eat and stretch her legs, Tonks dropped by to see Coral Smith at her desk. When she stepped in, Coral immediately said, "I'm sorry, but do you have an appointment? The Minister can't see any walk ins today."

"I didn't come to see the Minister. I'm from the Aurors. My name is Tonks," she said, "I wanted to talk to you actually about a former co-worker of yours."

Coral looked a little surprised. "So, you know who I am?"

"Yes," replied Tonks. "I wanted to ask you about Percy Weasley."

Coral shook her head, "I haven't seen him. He came in too early that day anyway. At that time, I didn't start work until nine."

"I know. I reviewed the timecards," said Tonks. "What I wanted to ask about was the time off he took prior to his resignation. I know that you had to fill in for him."

Coral nodded, "Yes, I did. He didn't even say that he was going to be out. But I got an owl from his flat mate that he wasn't feeling too well."

"His flat mate owled you?" asked Tonks. Oliver never mentioned anything about Percy taking some time off. "Did he give any reason for why he was out for nearly a month?"

"No," replied Coral. "He didn't say anything when he came back and I didn't bothering asking."

"Why?"

Coral looked away from her. "Because he looked so worn out. He looked like he wasn't eating or sleeping at all. He just looked exhausted. I figured he could have used the time off, but he came back looking worse."

"Did anybody know what happened during that time? What about the time off after that?"

"I think that his flat mate knew what happened," answered Coral after thinking about it for a minute. "Yes, towards the end he decided not to come to work as often. I had to cover for him during that time and it angered the former Minister to no end, but he didn't fire him. I think it's because a lot of the staff was abandoning him, so Fudge thought that he still had Percy at his side."

"What about you? Why weren't you the one who did it in the end?"

"Because Fudge never really showed me anything. In the end, Fudge kept most of his files in his office." Coral paused for a moment as she thought about it, "What does any of this have to do with Percy? Has something happened to him?"

"I hope not," replied Tonks. "Thank you for you time." She left without answering any of Coral's questions. It seemed that the trail had once again lead outwards away from Percy.

The good news was that the trail led back to Oliver. That was the good news, but the bad news was that Tonks still didn't know how it all connected. She couldn't very well go back to Oliver making accusations without anything to support her claims. Pure and simple, he had lied to her about Percy. Who knew what else he was lying about?

It was time to dive deeper into Oliver's personal life to check if she hadn't missed anything. It was starting to look more and more like he was the one responsible for Percy's disappearance. Tonks didn't like where this was heading one bit.

When she came back to her cubicle, she found Kingsley waiting for her. "What did you find out?" she asked him before he could ask her.

"Alistair Xavier is a reporter for the _Daily Prophet_. He's an investigative reporter actually and he's currently on assignment somewhere on the Continent," answered Kingsley. "He's been sending owls back to the paper, but no one has seen him in months."

"Argh!" exclaimed Tonks, resisting the urge to smash her head against her desk in frustration. "One more person we can't find or account for."

"Calm down, Tonks," said Kingsley soothingly. "It's not your fault. Take it easy. What did you find out?"

"I went through the timecards," she muttered from behind her hands. "I talked to one of the secretaries and she couldn't say why she had to fill in for Percy for three weeks in a row." She raked her fingers through her hair.

"Do you want me to go and find Xavier and talk to him?" offered Kingsley again. He seemed more pressing this. "Look, I know that Arthur didn't ask me to look into it because I was too close to the family, but it's time you had some help."

"Where is he exactly?" asked Tonks.

"Last known country was Romania," answered Kingsley. "He's been all over Eastern Europe during the last couple of months. As far as anyone knows, he didn't associate with Percy at all. I didn't ask about Penelope Clearwater."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" asked Tonks.

Kingsley nodded, "I want to do this. We can't rule anyone out as suspects. This is starting to look like someone did come after him."

Tonks looked up at him directly. She didn't say anything about her suspicions of Oliver's involvement. She didn't want to say anything to Kingsley until she was sure because he could tell Arthur what was happening. "Then, please look for Xavier and ask him how he knew Penelope first, and then if he knew Percy, too."

"There is one more thing, Tonks," said Kingsley as he nodded. "Molly found out."

"How?" asked Tonks.

"I don't know, but they're asking to see you."

Tonks leaned back in her chair. She had a feeling that things just got more complicated. For the most part, she was able to move about without much interference from the Weasleys, which made her investigation easier. Now, with Molly involved, it was going to be harder to do anything. She was going to press for answers and she wasn't going to let Tonks off that easy. "When do they want to see me?" she asked. "And where?"

"Tonight and at regular meeting place," answered Kingsley.

"Right. Of course," muttered Tonks as she pressed her lips together. She sighed. "How angry is Molly exactly?"

"She's more upset than angry. Chances are she's not going to take it out on you, so you don't have to worry."

"I have to answer questions that I wasn't asked before."

Kingsley looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "What questions are you afraid of answering?"

"Well, the first and foremost one, have you found my son yet?" said Tonks with a high pitch.

"They know you haven't found him yet," Kingsley assured her.

"Yeah, but like I keep saying there are more questions than answers. Just today, I found out that Percy was out for three weeks without any explanation and you found out that you can't even find the person who might have an idea of where he's gone."

"We'll go together tonight and talk to them," said Kingsley. "You shouldn't worry too much Tonks. You're doing the best you can. Now, I have to attend to other things right now."

Tonks waited for him to be gone before she opened up her notebook again to read up on what she had written about Oliver. As soon as she read it, she realized that she had made a mistake in being so trusting. There was something off about their meeting. It had been so early in the investigation that Tonks hadn't been so suspicious.

She looked through his files again and noticed something off. There were two bank vaults under Oliver's name in Gringotts. Normally, if a person had more than one vault, one was for higher security and the other was lower. Tonks looked went back into Percy's file and noticed that he used to have an account in Gringotts. But it showed that he no longer had one. Tonks bit her lip because it looked as if she was going to have to ask a favor from Bill.

Either way, Tonks had a feeling that she was no longer spinning her wheels in a single spot. She was now going somewhere, but she wasn't sure if she was going to like her destination.

* * *

AN: It looks like Tonks is finally getting somewhere, but the question is whether or not she's headed in the right direction or not. Percy's disappearance isn't what it seems and his illness is very real. I set up this story to be as much of a mystery as possible. I hope that it will be plausible and makes sense as it gets to the end. I love crime dramas and mystery novels. Sometimes, I think that the pace of the story is fast in certain parts, while slow in some. As parts of the story reveals what really happened, I attempt to put in some mundane stuff. 

kirikarin. livejournal. com

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. This story belongs to me and cannot be posted anywhere else without my permission.


	8. Crossroads

Deconstruction

Chapter Eight: Crossroads

Despite Tonks' reservations, she and Kingsley arrived at 12 Grimmauld Place five minutes before dinner. She sighed as they entered the house. The feeling of foreboding filled her as she walked through the threshold. Part of her wished she had told Kingsley what she had just found out about Oliver because he could help her soften the blow, but another part of her knew she had done the right thing. She didn't have time to think about it because Bill was waiting for them.

For an instant, Tonks thought of talking to him and requesting his help on the bank records, but decided that it wasn't the right time. "I'm sorry that you had to come tonight," said Bill as a greeting. "It's just that we were talking about it at Fred and George's shop when our mother came in and heard part of what we said. We were defenseless from her questions."

"I understand," said Tonks as he offered to take her cloak, which she shield and handed off to him. "What are we having?"

"Pork chops," replied Bill. "I'm not sure what else because we've been keeping clear of our mother since this afternoon. Dad's not home yet, I think he's taking his time before he gets here. He'll be happy to know that he came later than you two. I doubt that Mum is going to do a lot of yelling in front of company."

"I see," murmured Tonks.

"I'm really sorry it came out like that. I told Arthur that he wasn't handling it right," said Kingsley.

"Yeah, well, I don't think we should go there until dinner's ready. My brothers are in the den. This way," said Bill.

Tonks followed behind the two men as they walked ahead of her. She was looking for good escape routes out of the house. She had a better reason to escape than normal. There seemed no way to get out of the dinner. Even if she had tried harder, it would have arosed Kingsley's suspicions.

"Are you all right?" asked Bill in a concerned voice when they got to the den. The three of them walked in.

"I'm fine," whispered Tonks. "Hello everyone. I wish we were seeing each other under better circumstances."

"Hey Tonks," said Charlie as he got to his feet. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Yes, please."

"What would you like?"

"Fire whiskey."

Charlie blinked at her before he went and got her drink. He handed it to her and she accepted it. To everyone's surprise, she gulped it in one swig. She didn't even react to the taste and the burning sensation down her throat. Charlie gave a nervous laugh before he asked, "Would you like another one?"

"Maybe, later," said Tonks, thinking that she should be sober for the dinner. She was definitely going to have to go and get a drink after the dinner with or without any company. She handed the shot glass back to Charlie.

"That bad, huh?" asked Fred. "Have you gotten any leads on Percy?"

"I think we should wait, Fred, she's going to have to tell Mum and Dad everything at the dinner anyway," said Bill. "There's no point in her repeating herself over and over again."

Tonks didn't have a chance to really say anything because Arthur walked in. He looked inside from the doorway, "Oh, you're both here. Let's go and eat. Molly's got everything ready now."

That wasn't an improvement in Tonks mind. She was the last out of the den after everyone else had filed out. When they got there, they saw that Molly had everything prepared. Charlie pulled out a chair for Tonks, which she automatically took.

Molly looked worn out as she began serving in silence. Tonks didn't offer to help anymore. This was the second time she had sat in silence, waiting for the questions to be asked. It was only after dinner was started when Molly decided it was time to ask some questions, "Tonks, I understand that you're in charge of finding Percy?"

"Yes, Molly," said Tonks.

"Have you found anything?"

"Nothing substantial."

Molly glanced at Arthur for a moment before she asked, "If you found anything, Tonks, please just tell us."

"I don't want to get your hopes up when a lead doesn't pan out, Molly. A lot of investigations lead to false trails, dead ends, and red herrings." Tonks wasn't looking at anyone in the eye directly.

"I thought you knew what was going on, Tonks," said Arthur. "After five weeks, you don't have anything?"

"I didn't say that, Arthur," argued Tonks. "It's just that there were a lot of things going on in Percy's life that none of you realized. If any of you had known him better in the first place, then we wouldn't be having this problem at all."

A stunned silence filled the room as Tonks' words sunk in. It took a moment for her to realize what she had just said. She had basically blamed them for the disappearance of Percy. Her clumsiness had come out in an even worse form than normal. She looked around and realized that she had gone too far.

"What's that supposed to mean?" demanded Fred angrily. One could always count on him to break any awkward silences. "That it's our fault that he's missing?"

Tonks' face was completely still as if she was in complete paralysis. All the Weasley's eyes were locked on her, prompting an answer to the question. She didn't even look at Kingsley who was still silent. "I think it is," she said softly after another second or so.

"Percy chose to leave on his own," growled George.

Bill spat, "I thought you were on our side."

Molly held up her hand to stop them from saying anything further. "But you haven't told us anything. Please what did you find out about him, Tonks." She looked upon Tonks with pleading eyes. "It doesn't matter. Nothing else matters, but finding my son and bring him home."

"Like I said, there's nothing really to say," lied Tonks. There were two things: Percy might have been responsible for Penelope Clearwater's death, and Oliver might have been responsible for Percy's disappearance. Tonks had no idea just how much her investigation was affecting her judgment. She slid her chair out and got to her feet. She couldn't bear the looks of betrayal on their faces. "And Bill, I'm not on your side. I'm on his. Because no one else from the looks of things was ever on his side. Part of my job is to speak for people who can't."

Tonks continued, "All I know is Percy isn't what anyone expected him to be like or what he appeared and it's because of that he's gone missing. From some indications that I have uncovered, he left under his own volition. He may have very well walked out on his own life and if he did that, there's nothing I could really do about that." It was with those words that Tonks left the room.

She practically ran down the long hallway with another set of footsteps trailing after her. She was just at the front door and ready to open it when Kingsley's hand darted out and grabbed her wrist. "What the Hell was that?" he demanded, mildly shaking her. "You don't talk to victims' families like that! You should have learned that during your training."

Tonks angrily yanked her wrist from his grip. Kingsley looked livid at that moment. "What haven't you been telling me? Tell me," he ordered.

"It is their bloody fault. Three months, Kingsley. Three months!" she exclaimed angrily as she pounded her hands against his chest. "That's how long the trail was cold before Arthur even thought that there was something wrong!"

Apparently, the Weasleys had followed the Aurors to the threshold during that time. Not that Tonks cared at that point. "What kind of family does that! How could you just abandon him because he was different from you!" She was shaking in anger at that moment. "Just one person? Majority rules?"

Arthur spoke in softly, "I didn't think there was something wrong. I thought that he was all right. I thought he was coming around. I was worried before when he didn't come right away." He paused. "He's stubborn. Just like me."

Tonks directed her anger at Arthur, "You don't know the statistics, do you?" She held up her hand to silence him as she went on, "The best time to look for someone is within twenty-four hours after that each hour the chances of finding someone alive or at all degrades. Three months, Arthur? You know as well as I do that I should be looking for a body, not a person."

Molly gasped in horror as she looked at her husband. Arthur didn't look angry at Tonks, but it was the look of stricken parent. "That's the other truth you're going to have to accept. All of you," said Tonks.

Kingsley drew a deep breath as he shook his head. After a second, he had made a decision, "I'm your ranking officer, Tonks. It's my job to know when things are too much for you. I'm afraid I have to take you off this case. You've been working on it nonstop for five weeks. You have expressed a lot of frustration. It's not for your lack of progress, but you don't give me much of a choice. Tomorrow, I want you to submit all your findings regarding Percy's disappearance. All of it."

Tonks was shocked. Her jaw dropped and it took a second for her brain to process what was happening. "You're taking me off this case? I have never been taken off a case before!" she exclaimed, her anger mounting.

"There's a first time for everything, Tonks. A lot has been going on in the past year and this was just one more thing that shouldn't have been put on your plate," said Kingsley in an effort to soothe her anger. "I'm not questioning your skills, but I am telling you that you need a break."

"You can't take me off this case."

"I just did."

Tonks folded her arms over her chest and surveyed the other witnesses in the room. Her pride had just been shot down. Kingsley continued, "I'm also giving you some time off. You obviously need it."

For Tonks, that was even worse. Time off meant that she couldn't even be in the Aurors' offices while the investigation was going on. She shook her head and started to laugh. The Weasley brothers shared startled looks as she regained control of herself. "You take me off this case, Kingsley, and I guarantee you that you won't have a prayer of finding him," she said finally as she turned the doorknob and wretched it open.

It was now raining outside, but before she went out into the darkness, she without turning to face them she added, "Dead or alive."

Tonks didn't know why, but she took off running into the rain. She didn't know where she was going. She just had to get away from the house. Old fears were starting to bubble up and rise again. Things that she hadn't thought of in a while. She was trying her best to push it back down.

About a half hour later, Tonks had managed to wander out of the rain and into the Leaky Cauldron. It was there that she ordered a double shot of fire whiskey, which old Tom was more than happy to oblige. She pulled out some coins to pay when her fingers touched her notebook. She was supposed to submit it the following morning to Kingsley. She pulled it out along with the money to pay for her shots of whiskey.

She had left it flipped at the page it had been in recently. The part where she made notes of Oliver's bank vaults in Gringotts. She was at crossroads. Essentially, there were two choices before: either she could turn in everything to Kingsley and leave it be, or she could continue with the investigation and submit nothing. She took her two shots of whiskey.

Her instincts told her not to hand over anything to Kingsley. Let him do the work. But all good logic told her that what she was thinking of doing was going to ruin her career. Why was she willing to do that? She must have been out of her mind. She stared at the empty shot glass and was about to ask for another double, but someone had interrupted her.

"Two hot cups of coffee," ordered Remus just as he took the stool next to her. Tom nodded and went to go get them. "My treat, Tonks."

"Let me guess. Kingsley called you to say that I've lost my mind," muttered Tonks as she rolled her eyes. "And if you don't mind, Tom, could you make mine an Irish Crème?" Tom didn't say anything, but got the bottle of the Irish whiskey and poured some into a mug.

"You'll have to pay the difference," pointed out Remus. "And no, it wasn't Kingsley who called. I was in the house at the time. I just thought it wouldn't be good to go down for dinner. I figured you'd be here."

"So, you ducked out before the sparks flew?" asked Tonks as she closed her notebook to keep him from looking at it. "Do you think I went too far?"

"Just a little," answered Remus. "I know that you're looking at things from a completely different perspective, Tonks."

"And how am I looking at things?" asked Tonks. Tom set the coffee mugs in front of them. "Thanks, Tom." Tom nodded went to wait on some other people.

"I think you're starting to take things personally," answered Remus before taking a sip of his coffee. "Why are you taking things so personally? I'm not expecting an answer, but you should ask yourself that question."

"I already did, Remus," said Tonks. "I have no idea why. I guess it's the fact that they didn't ask earlier to find him. He had a lot of things going on his life that he kept to himself. He was someone who suppressed everything because there was no one who would understand him."

"So, you relate to him," stated Remus.

Tonks warmed her hands against the mug before taking a sip from it. She shrugged. "I guess on some level I do." She glanced at Remus for a moment. "You know ever since I was little, I knew about the Blacks and what the represented. They were a dark magic family and my mother was one of them. It didn't make it easy for me to make friends, even though my father's Muggle born. Every once in a while, I think to myself how did Sirius and my mother turn out so differently from the others."

"Sirius was a born rebel, and so was your mother," pointed out Remus. "Sirius fought so hard to prove he wasn't bad. But, you know there are families of good magic that have members who turn out bad."

Tonks shook her head, "You don't know what I found out in my investigation. I don't know if he was good or evil."

Remus took a sip then said, "I think the problem might be that you've already given up and that's why you're so frustrated, Tonks."

"I haven't given up. I've given five weeks of my life to this case," argued Tonks. "And I'm not giving up. I'm being force to."

"Then why are you referring to Percy in the past tense?" asked Remus. Tonks blinked at him as he went on, "It's because you've already given him up for dead, haven't you?"

"I," paused Tonks as she shook her head. Maybe the alcohol was starting to get to her. Then she realized that Remus was right. "Oh my God. I didn't even notice what I was saying. What should I do, Remus?"

"Do what you think you should do? Do what you think is best for Percy. Not for you or anyone else, not even his family," answered Remus. "That's what you should do. Do you want me to see you home?"

Tonks shook her head and waved her hand, "No, I'll manage. You'd better get going. I'm sorry to hang all this on you."

Remus gave her a gentle smile. "It's all right, Tonks. But whatever you do be careful, won't you?"

"I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself," Tonks assured him. "Good night, Remus."

"Good night, Tonks." Remus walked away, leaving Tonks to muse for a while. It was going to take a while before she figured out what she was going to do next.

* * *

The sound of the rain outside kept him awake. He always liked the sound of rain. Of course, in England, it rained all the time. He sat up in his cell. Sometimes he wished that he had something to read. The only thing that he had on a somewhat regular basis was art supplies. He didn't want to write anything down for anyone to read, so he preferred the art supplies. People could interpret a piece of art in any number of ways. 

"I never thought I'd find you here," whispered a voice from outside his door. His eyes widened. He immediately recognized the sound that voice. He sat up and slowly got to his feet. He walked up to the cell and the little window to the cell was open. "You didn't think I'd find you here."

"Ali," he whispered, trying to see the speaker in the darkness. "How did you get in here?"

"Why don't you get out?" retorted the voice. "I know you can do it, but you choose to stay here. I guess it's better than Azkaban. That's where they'll send you, once they find out what you've done."

He swallowed pressed his fingers against the coolness of the door. "What are you doing here? Tell me."

"You know why I'm here. You're the one responsible."

"I didn't do it."

"That's not what you remember."

"It's a lie!" he roared. His hands formed into fists and he pounded the door. "I didn't do it! It wasn't me!"

The sound of his fists pounding the door roused the other patients and pair of orderlies came. The immediately opened his cell door and he began to fight them with his fists. He was heaving for air as they attempted to restrain him. The other cell doors started to rattle and the lights began to flicker. The orderlies noticed it and they looked at each other. One could easily dismiss the flickering lights as a result of the storm, but the other doors pounding. They only knew it was him because of the sound of his voice from his shouting.

Dr. McCoy came running down the hall and had a syringe at the ready. "Hold him still," he ordered as calmly as possible. He uncapped the syringe and injected in it into the patient's arm.

"I didn't do it," the patient muttered as the medicine took an almost immediate effect and he keeled over. The orderlies held him steady and gently hoisted him up and placed him on the bed. One of them even covered him with a blanket.

"Doc, we didn't even hear anything. He just started shouting. We were just down the hall," said one of the orderly, obviously shaken by the incident.

The other one said, "It sounded like he was talking to someone. You know. Like he wasn't even asleep."

"Don't concern yourselves with this. I'll make the report," said Dr. McCoy as he walked off. He went back to his office and started to fill out the report, but a familiar feeling came over him when he returned there. Shaking his head, he pulled out a vial from his lab coat. He opened it and ingested the contents. He replaced it back in his lab coat and went back to work.

* * *

Tonks returned to her flat to gather up all the papers she had on Percy and bundled it up. She wrote a brief note allowing Kingsley to look through her desk. Working pretty fast, she had purchased another notebook just like the one that she had been writing her notes in. She meticulously copied most of her notes onto the new book leaving out her own theories along with the information she had just discovered that day and added notebook to the package she was sending. 

When she was done, she was ready to make her decision. Sitting in front of her kitchen table, she listened to the sound the rain as she pondered her next move. The case was no longer hers, but she couldn't just leave it be. She had to see it through to the end. She was going to have to risk everything to do it. Something in her said not to let it go.

"Life's not fun without a little risk," she said finally. She started at the pouring rain as her decision sunk in. Without the rules of the Ministry, holding her back and with very little to lose, there was a chance that she could go further. She got to her feet and slid the chair. She looked around her. It was a good thing that she didn't have any plants or pets, she had neither the time nor the patience for such things, because she wasn't going to be there for a while.

She went to her room and began to pack up her things in a backpack along with something that she had kept in a box. Normally, wizards didn't dabble in such things, but the Muggles did. It was hers and it was registered with the authorities. No one would have suspected that she had one. She opened it. It was in pieces.

Slowly, Tonks assembled it. She slid the pieces in place and when it was done, she gripped it in her hand. She had learned how to use it, but had never really used it outside of a training course. She carefully loaded the bullets into a cartridge, but didn't load it into gun. She packed everything into her backpack.

The next thing she did was take any money she had along. When she was done packing, she wrote a note for her landlord. On her way out, she grabbed her coat and umbrella. She went out the door. Where she was going wasn't very far, so she chose to walk. Apparating there would have been a bad idea anyway because a Muggle might have seen her.

She continued until she reached where she was going. She had never been there before, but she knew exactly where she was. She rapped her knuckles against the door, and then rang the doorbell. It took less than a minute for someone to answer the door.

When the door opened, Oliver Wood looked stunned. He was about to ask who she was, but he recognized her in a second. "I'm not here for a social call," she started. "Don't force me to do something you'll regret." Her tone sounded absolutely deadly.

Oliver blinked as he stepped aside and let her in. "What is this about?" he asked. "I already told you everything I knew."

"Percy's your best friend, isn't he?" asked Tonks again.

"Yes, he was my best friend," answered Oliver. "What is this about?" He watched as she walked around the living room without taking off her backpack.

"There was something about our interview that bothered me," said Tonks as she walked around. "I looked into your personal life. No one is spared in an investigation where foul play was possibly involved. You should have known that I would look into your personal life, Oliver."

"I have nothing to hide," whispered Oliver as he closed the door behind him.

"I don't believe you," retorted Tonks quietly. In her coat pocket, her hand was covering her wand. She could draw it in a moment's notice. "Like I said there was something wrong with your interview."

"You said he was your best friend," she went on. "You're using the wrong tense. There was something else you said, 'His life was hard.' You said that. You used the past tense throughout the interview. Usually that means that one has already accepted the person's already dead."

Oliver looked away from her. "So, I made a mistake. Everyone does. No one's perfect," he whispered.

"You lied," said Tonks with certainty. "You have two bank vaults of the same security level in Gringotts. Why did Percy sign over his account to you?"

Oliver gulped again and said, "It's not what it looks like."

"Then what does it look like," demanded Tonks, gripping her wand tightly.

Oliver's shoulders slacked as he staggered into a chair and shook his head. "It's a long story. I have a perfectly good explanation, but I doubt that you'd understand."

"Give me a try," said Tonks.

* * *

AN: Tonks was pretty harsh in this chapter. I actually put the five weeks up now, so Percy has been unaccounted for in the wizarding world for four months and a week. The sections with Tonks in it are from her perspective, and so she is anger at the Weasleys. However, Percy doesn't blame his family for anything. It also looks like she's decided to go down a different patch. 

kirikarin. livejournal. com

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. This story belongs to me and cannot be posted anywhere else without my permission.


	9. Oliver's Confession

Deconstruction

Chapter Nine: Oliver's Confession

It started months before Percy had walked out of the Ministry that day. Oliver had had to go overseas to Europe to play exhibition matches along with real ones. After two months on the road, he returned home to find Percy in a strange state. It was the beginning of a downward spiral.

Upon Oliver's return, he had observed that Percy had started not to eat very often and was steadily losing weight. He spent hours at a time working on extra paperwork from the office just to keep himself busy at night. It seemed that he was afraid to go to sleep at night. He filled himself up with anything caffeinated to keep awake. It wasn't as if he had to bring home so much of his work.

Oliver was concerned, so he was constantly accosting Percy about his physical condition. Percy grew agitated at Oliver and called him a pest, withdrawing all from him altogether. When the news of Voldemort's attack came out, Percy was still working at the offices without much trouble. He managed to keep his condition a secret from anyone who saw him, except for Oliver who started to come up with reasons for Percy to take a break. As a Christmas present, Oliver had given Percy season tickets to go see the Chudley Cannons, so that Percy could take some time off then again. The tickets had gone unused.

"You didn't know what was wrong with him?" asked Tonks as she scribbled some of what Oliver had told her into her notebook.

"I didn't at the time," answered Oliver as he handed her a mug of hot cocoa. He took a seat in the chair adjacent to hers.

Tonks took a sip before she asked, "What happened next?"

"It was the same after that for weeks and weeks. Then two months before he disappeared, it all came down hard," replied Oliver as he set his mug on the side table. "It was raining that afternoon. I was at practice. You know that place where we first met. One of wrist guards broke. It was a custom made one, and I had left the spare one at home. So, I came back to get it. That's when I knew something was really wrong."

Tonks didn't say anything as he paused and tipped his head back a little. He sighed and continued, "I noticed that he was home in the middle of the day. I heard the sound of running water coming from the hall bathroom. That was his bathroom, while I had one in my room. I had the master's, while he took the one down the hall next to the outdoor terrace. So, I left my room to ask why he was home. The door was open and the light was on."

Oliver sighed again as he tried to relax a little more. "Percy was always a stickler when it came to his privacy. He would wake up extra early when we were going to Hogwarts to take his baths and showers alone. It wasn't like him to leave the bathroom door opened, so I went to go ask him what was wrong. That's when I noticed that there was glass all over the place. The mirror was smashed, except for the top part. I panicked. I went to his room and started pounding on the door, but he wasn't answering me." He stopped again.

"Where was he?" asked Tonks after the pause was too long. She repeated, "Where was he, Oliver?"

"He liked to go out onto the terrace. It was his favorite part of this place. He went out there to think all the time or to just get some air. I went to go see if he was there, even though it was raining. I tried the knob, but it was locked. We never locked the terrace before. I had to break the glass around the knob to get my hand through and unlock it. That's where I found him."

One could almost see Oliver replaying it in his mind over and over again. Obviously he hadn't talked about it since then, not even with Percy. "It was coming down so hard. Just like now," he went on. "I couldn't see anything at first. Then I saw a watery trail of blood. You know it's like if you cut yourself and you wash the blood away in the sink. Something like that. There was so much of it. I followed it until I found him leaning against the wall. He had a piece of the mirror. It looked almost like a jagged dagger and he was just sawing it into his wrist."

"Oh my God," gasped Tonks.

"He wasn't wearing his glasses. I don't know if he saw me or not, but I ran up to him. I said, 'My God, Perce, what have you done to yourself?' He passed out just then. There wasn't any way the blood could clot. The rain was washing away any chance of that. I went to feel his pulse. It was erratic. He was so pale and his lips were turning blue from the cold. I pulled him up and tried to help him into the flat."

"He was bleeding so much. I had to go and get some help otherwise he'd bleed to death. He already lost so much blood, so I didn't have a choice. He couldn't Apparate anywhere in that condition and I couldn't risk putting him through the Floo Network. And I had to think of his reputation.

"If anyone found out he tried to kill himself, well, you know how we should all feel about that sort of thing. Only the Muggles are tolerate of such things. The Muggle hospital was just down the street, so I tried to stop the bleeding as much as possible. I went for help and one of the neighbors called for an ambulance to come."

"The Muggles came really fast and took him to the hospital. They put him under a twenty-four hour suicide watch, but they kept him there for three days afterwards anyway. He had lost so much blood that they had to do a transfusion."

Tonks asked, "So, that's why his records show that he was out for three weeks in a row? It was because of this. You also missed a lot of your training sessions as a result. That's why your game has been off, isn't it?"

Oliver didn't answer the question directly. He continued, "The night I came back from the hospital, I moved the furniture around, giving him the master bedroom. I put a shatter proof spell on the bathroom mirror to keep him from breaking it. I had to put a spell on the terrace, so that he wouldn't be able to go out there again. I also kept my door opened at night just in case."

"You could have told someone about what was happening," said Tonks gently. "You should have told someone. Never mind all the stigma. What about his family? His parents?"

Oliver glanced at her and shook his head, "When I visited him at the hospital, Percy told me to not say anything, especially to his dad. He was diagnosed with clinical depression that's what the Muggle doctors said. They showed him much more compassion than any one of the healers at St. Mungo's would have."

Tonks didn't write that down. She didn't have to ask why because she already knew the answer, "His pride. It wasn't just his reputation that was on the line, if people found out that he was depressed it would be a sign of weakness. He didn't want anyone to see that. Or rather, he wanted to limit that as much as possible."

"Why did you bring so many things?" asked Oliver as he looked at her backpack. He seemed to be done talking about Percy. He didn't want to keep going any longer, but she had to keep him going just a bit longer.

Tonks gave him a smile. "Nothing you've just said made it into the official investigation," she assured him as he gave her a perplexed look. "I was taken off the case a few hours ago. I overreacted with the Weasleys when they wanted a progress report. Now, my supervisor has taken over the case. We're only a couple of steps ahead of them."

"Wait, you're no longer on the case, then why are you still investigating?" asked Oliver, utterly confused.

"Because it's my job and I don't give in that easily," replied Tonks. "Now, I need you to give me a tour of this place and also, I need you to answer more questions. I'm not here to hurt Percy or to expose any of his secrets. What you've just said will stay between us, but we need to work fast and get out of here before my supervisor realizes what I've done."

Oliver gave her another quizzical look and asked, "What have you done?"

"Let's just say I took apart what I found and threw in a couple of dead ends in his path. It won't hold for them for long. It won't take him long to figure out that Percy lived here."

Oliver got to his feet and started to pace a bit, "Are you saying I'm a suspect?"

Tonks nodded. "It looks suspicious, Oliver," she pointed out. "Look at all that happened, I mean you have his bank vault. There's a paper trail. Even if you had transferred all the money into your account, someone would have caught on to it. Didn't you know that Percy's oldest brother worked at the bank?"

"I did. Look, Percy gave me his key, but I couldn't have direct access to it without it being under my name. The damn goblins made it too hard," replied Oliver as he flayed his arms around. "I only had it to pay off the medical bills. We didn't want to rouse any suspicion. The bill was huge, even by wizarding standards. Percy couldn't just withdraw all of his savings to pay it off and convert it into Muggle currency would have arouse too much notice, so the only way he could pay the bill back was to do it in the usual installments. The statements come every month on the fifteenth."

"I thought you said that you weren't getting anymore of his mail here," said Tonks.

"I didn't lie," protested Oliver immediately. "I said that he wasn't getting anymore owls here. You didn't ask anything about Muggle correspondence."

"Yeah, I didn't think to ask that. No one would," said Tonks as she shook her head. "Looks like we're ahead, but it won't be for long."

"What did you want to see?" asked Oliver. Tonks got to her feet and set the mug on the side table next to his. "You wanted to see his room?"

"Both rooms if he occupied them and I also want to see the bathrooms and the terrace," she replied. He nodded and he went up the stairs. She climbed up right behind him. "He occupied this place most of the time even if you've lived here longer. He was here day in and day out. There has to be something else left here."

"I don't know what you hope to find," said Oliver as they reached the top of the stairs. "Which room do you want to see first?"

"The one he had before he left," answered Tonks. After his description of the upstairs, she knew where it was, so she stepped up to it. The door was closed and she turned the knob. The room was completely empty as she had expected. She could see from the outlines on the floor from where the furniture used to be. She knelt down to get a closer look to see which lines were deeper and which weren't. "Your bed was against this wall, wasn't it?" she observed, pointing to the wall next to the hall bathroom.

"Yeah, how did you know that?" asked Oliver.

"The indentations in the carpet. The longer a piece of furniture sits in one spot, the more permanent the indentations are. Percy kept his bed in the middle of the room," she replied.

"That's amazing," he compliment.

"He had a dresser where he kept his things and a trunk at the end of his bed," continued Tonks as she walked around. "He had a desk, too, but he wasn't the one who arranged this room. You did. You were the one who moved the furniture in here. There was too much room for his furniture."

"He didn't waste his money on things like furniture," said Oliver. "But you're right. This room is a little bigger than the other room. The layout is a little different because the closet is on the other side. So, I just put the furniture in here and moved it to make it look as much like was in his old room."

Tonks opened the closet and found it empty. She tapped her feet along the floor, looking for loose boards just in case. There weren't any. "You said you put a shatter proof spell on the mirror. Did he try to kill himself again?"

"No. That I know of," answered Oliver.

"I want to see the other bathroom and the terrace. I don't think I need to see your room," she said.

"This way, then," he said. They went to the bathroom and he opened it. "I had to get the glass repaired by ordering one from the landlord. He was pretty mad about it, too, but Percy paid me back for it later on."

"Why didn't you just use the repair spell?" asked Tonks as she looked at their reflection on the mirror.

"You have to see the terrace," answered Oliver. "Do you want to see it right now? It's still raining." She nodded and followed him down the hall. "I never went out there since that day." He stopped at the door and drew out his wand. "The spell is activated by just my voice. _Alohomora_." He turned the knob and he stepped out first. He led the way. "I found him here."

Tonks saw why Oliver had to order a new mirror. The repair spell wouldn't work unless all the pieces were all there. It was the dagger-like piece of the mirror, the same one that Percy had used to cut his wrist. It was just laying there. Watching the rain bead off it as it came down on them. It was virtually the same conditions the last time that Oliver was out on the terrace. Tonk crouched down and looked at her reflection for a moment. "Let's go back now," she whispered finally.

They stepped back inside and Tonks watched as Oliver placed the spell back on the door. "I understand now," she whispered as he turned to face her. "A part of you doesn't believe his dead."

"What makes you think that?" asked Oliver.

"Because of how you've kept things. You have his owl and you've kept his room open for him. I mean you could say that you haven't found another flat mate yet, but the fact that you kept the spells on the door and mirror. You just replaced the spell on the terrace and you've kept your promised with paying the medical bills. Yet, you won't take his whole bank account."

Oliver licked his lips as he looked away from her briefly, "I just want to make sure that he has something to come back to just in case. But after all this time, I just keep things the way they are out of habit. How do you know that he's not dead?"

"I don't," replied Tonks. "But no one does. We have to keep looking until we find him."

"What are you going to do now?" asked Oliver.

Tonks answered, "I'm going to get dry again and I think you should get comfortable because I have to tell you what I found out. I need you to confirm a couple things."

"I'll get some towels," said Oliver as he went to his room and grabbed two. He came back and handed one to her. "Let's get back down. We can get something more hot to drink."

* * *

The following morning Dr. White came as soon as she heard what had happened to her patient. She had to tend to him immediately, so she went there before she even had a chance to drop off her things. The orderlies from the nightshift had gone home, so the dayshift was already there. They opened the door for her and she found him curled in a fetal position. He had just woken up not too long ago. 

"I heard what happened last night," whispered Dr. White as she ventured to touch him, but he flinched at her. Pulling her hands back, "What was that all about? What did you see?"

"Don't touch me," he muttered in response. "Just leave me alone."

"I'm here to help you," she whispered. "You have to tell me what you saw." She wanted to hold him and tell him that it was all right, and she was there to make sure nothing would hurt him. She couldn't even touch him. "I'll be right back. I believe you," she said as she got up.

She walked out of the cell and one of the orderlies locked it behind her. Dr. White turned to the other and asked, "I want to see the security tapes from last night."

"Dr. McCoy has them," answered the orderly. "He was here last night and he was the one who had to subdue the patient."

Dr. White angrily crossed her arms over her chest as she pivoted on her heel and stalked off. She couldn't believe that Dr. McCoy would still interfere with her work like that. She should have been called in the moment that it started rather than having them subdue him. She continued until she came to a stop at his office.

Dr. McCoy wasn't there. She stepped inside. "Dr. McCoy? It's Dr. White," she said as she stepped inside. "Where are you?" She wondered why he was at the hospital during the night. She didn't know that he was supposed to work the nightshift, too.

She glanced in either direction and stepped into his office, closing the door quietly behind her. Dr. White saw that his office wasn't as she had expected. She had expected him to have volumes of books, but there was only one incomplete shelf and his diplomas were hanging on the wall as one would have expected. There was a short filing cabinet, too. Something wasn't right either way.

Dr. White went to his desk and saw that there were video cassette tapes sitting on them. They were the same kind that security used to record things through the cameras. In fact, they were labeled and dated with the security codes on them. She didn't touch them, but she did take out a pair of latex gloves that she kept handy in her bag.

Slowly, she opened the drawers on the desk. There was silver flask in the last one with a set of test tubes and stoppers in the bottom drawer. She opened the flask to check what was inside. It was something that didn't smell very good. It was green and almost gooey. She closed the flask again and replaced it as she had found it. There was a funnel that was clean, but she was sure that Dr. McCoy was using it to pour the flask's contents into the test tubes. The oddest thing in the drawer was a velvet pouch that contained a lock of hair.

Come to think of it, it wasn't strange to see Dr. McCoy always returning to his office at any given hour to check up on something. She thought that it was the mark of an awfully busy person, but now that she thought about it was highly unusually. Most of the doctors would remain outside with patients for long periods at a time without returning to their offices for hours. There were times when Dr. White had seen him rush off some place, even if he had no place to go.

Dr. White opened the drawer above and started to go through it. It was the file on her patient. Dr. McCoy was keeping track of her patient. She glanced at the video tapes on the table and to look closely at the time intervals that security labeled. They were the same time intervals that Dr. White and her patient had been meeting along with the time and dates, there were section codes. The section codes gave the location of a particular camera. Dr. White couldn't be sure, but she was positive that those were the same times and places that she was meeting with her patient.

Anger began to surge in her as she opened the top drawer. There were more flasks and a book. She found a mixture of odd things: dried plants along with other things she couldn't identify. She read the title on the book, which was in Latin, _Moste__ Potente Potions_. She opened it up and flipped through it.

She gasped when she saw some of the pictures. They were some of people turned inside out and worse yet some were even animated. She carefully just flipped the pages along the edges, not wanting to do anymore than that. Finally, she had arrived at a page that was marked with a thick piece of leather. She read the name of the potion, "Polyjuice Potion." Her eyes read what the potion was for and then skimmed the list of the ingredients. It was the last ingredient on the list that caused Dr. White's eye widened: a little bit of the person who one wished to be.

Dr. White didn't have to go into the other drawer again because she knew that the lock of hair was the same as color as Dr. McCoy's. The realization began to sink in that everything her patient had been telling her had been true. He hadn't told her specifically about this potion, but if this were real, then everything else had to be true. She quickly shut the drawer as she felt her heart thumping against her ribcage. It was suddenly making sense. Everything was making sense, even if it seemed impossible.

She was about to turn the door knob to get out of the office, but just as she got to the door it swung open.

* * *

AN: This is the beginning of the end of this story actually. Dr. White will have to do some fancy moving after this as the story progresses towards the next and final arc. I urge anyone with good theories to post a review because it's fun to see if anyone has figured out what's going on.

kirikarin. livejournal. com

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. This story belongs to me and cannot be posted anywhere else without my permission.


	10. Escape Plans

Deconstruction

Chapter Ten: Escape Plans

Dr. White stood frozen as she waited. She didn't get any relief because it was Dr. McCoy who had walked in. He had a startled look in his face, but recovered enough to ask, "What are you doing in my office, Dr. White?"

"I came here to see you," she replied. "I wanted to know what you did to my patient exactly."

Dr. McCoy looked at her suspiciously for a moment and asked, "You wanted to see the videotapes?" His eyes fell on the videotapes. It was a good thing that she hadn't touched them.

"Yes, the orderly said you had them," replied Dr. White. "I just got here and I was about ready to leave because you weren't here."

He gave a smile that gave her an unsettling feeling, but she tried as hard as she could to look as innocent as possible. It seemed like the pocket that her gloves were in felt heavier than normal. He seemed to look straight through her for a moment, but she strengthened her resolve as she stared back at him. The air hung heavily with tension around them. He closed the door behind him.

"I can tell you exactly what happened," he said as he offered her a chair. He went to his desk and sat down. "I would have called you last night, but with the storm, I thought that it wouldn't be safe or wise of you to drive down here. I thought that you'd be thankful that someone took care of it for you."

"And I am," said Dr. White accommodatingly. "Of course, I'm grateful that someone was looking out for my patient. It's just that it sounded like he caused a lot of trouble for the orderlies, and was such an inconvenience for you."

"It wasn't at all inconvenient," Dr. McCoy assured her. "However, I feel that I must express some concern I have for you. I know that I warned you before about your selection of patients."

"I only have one patient," said Dr. White. "I have to go and take care of some things." There was nothing more she wanted to do, but escape from Dr. McCoy and to assure herself that her patient was safe.

"I wanted to tell you," he said pausing briefly, "that you should be careful about how this is affecting you. I can see it."

"What do you see?" Her skin was starting to crawl, yet she kept herself still as he got to his feet. He went to the window and faced it. Then, he turned and looked at her.

"I think that you've over involved yourself with him," he whispered as he leaned in closer. "You're getting too close too quickly. You're young and he is taking advantage of your obvious inexperience."

"How would you know? I have everything under control." She froze again because he had come up from behind her. He placed his hands on her shoulders. She pressed her lips together as his lips came close to her ear. She drew a ragged breath. "Do you?" he hissed into her ear.

"From what I've seen, he's the one in control. It's so obvious. You've spent your entire life looking from the outside in. You're looking for a kindred spirit whether or not you're willing to admit it. You are so unaware of how deep you are. You'll drown before you know it. It's all him." His fingertips grazed along her cheek as her blood had gone cold. "I can see it. You're just letting yourself drift farther and farther away."

Dr. McCoy pulled away from her suddenly. "I'm just concerned about you, Gwen," he said in a friendly tone. "One might think that you have feelings for him."

She got out of the chair as quickly as she could without looking overly eager. She moved the side, so that he wasn't behind her anymore. "I appreciate your concern," she whispered as she started to back away from him.

"Oh my," he whispered, "it seems that I've over step my bounds. Is there anything else?" Dr. White shook her head and stepped back until the door was behind her. "Here let me get that for you." He reached and turned the door knob for her.

"Good day, Dr. McCoy," she said as she turned and made her way down the hall.

Dr. McCoy glanced at his watch and said, "Not a moment too soon." He closed the door and locked it.

* * *

"I guess Tonks must have been mad about being forced off the case," said Arthur as he looked at the package that Tonks had sent to Kingsley. They were all gathered at 12 Grimmauld Place after Kingsley picked up all the other files that were in Tonks' desk as well. Remus was present, but observing with his hands folded over his chest, looking almost impassive about the whole situation. 

"It looks like she got a lot of things together," added Bill as he picked up the photo that Tonks had tacked on her cubicle wall. "But it's all a big mess."

Charlie leafed through one of the personnel file and stopped at the resignation letter. He read it out loud and added, "Short, but sweet. That's the most concise I've ever seen Percy."

Fred looked through the file on Penelope Clearwater, "Penelope Clearwater's been dead for over a year. Oh God." He closed it and looked a little green as he put the file down. "Why do Muggles take pictures of that sort of thing?"

"What?" asked George as he picked up the file and looked for himself. He saw the first picture and looked through the others. "Percy was the one who identified her body. He knew she was dead."

"What was going on?" asked Arthur.

Kingsley opened the other package that Tonks had sent him. He found the notebook and flipped through it. "I looked up the information on the other person in Penelope's file, Alistair Xavier. He's out of the country right now, and no one has seen him either."

"It looks like she took apart the puzzle before she let you play with it," commented Remus blandly.

Kingsley smirked at Remus' words and said, "Tonks gave me the notebook she wrote her notes in for the investigation." He looked through them. "She just wrote down what she had done after each lead and interview, but nothing else it seems."

"Maybe you should go back and ask her, if she knew anything else," suggested Remus.

Fred gave a sharp laugh. "After what Kingsley did to her, what makes you think that she'll be willing to say? She just left us what she had and told us to go through it."

"Maybe one of us should go and talk to her," offered Remus. "I could go and talk to her for you and see what else she found out."

"Penelope Clearwater was Percy's girlfriend in school, wasn't she?" asked Bill and he sighed. "Maybe he was in more trouble than we realize."

"And his other friend isn't anywhere to be found," added Charlie. "I mean if this Alistair Xavier and he are friends."

"What about Oliver?" asked Fred. "Didn't she interview Oliver? Where is that?"

Kingsley flipped through the notebook and skimmed the page, "She did interview him and there was nothing. He saw him on the last day, but nothing else."

What they didn't know was that Tonks had carefully chosen not to include the Oliver's personal file, which included the information about the bank vaults. It was mentioned that Percy had a bank vault, but she didn't include what happened to it exactly. "It doesn't say if he knew that Clearwater was dead," said Kingsley. He glanced at Remus and nodded, "You should go see if she's all right at least. I know that she didn't want to take any time off, but she didn't give me much of a choice."

"I'll be back as soon as I can," said Remus as he Disapparated out of the 12 Grimmauld Place kitchen.

* * *

"I didn't know that Penelope was dead," said Oliver quietly as he finished packing up some of his things. After what Tonks had told him last night, he decided to join her for the rest of the investigation. They were going to a different place for a while just in case. 

Tonks also found out from Oliver that Percy had been seeing a psychiatrist at the recommendation of the doctors from the Muggle hospital. She wanted to do some research on the doctor before going off to meet her. So she nodded, and said, "Yes, but Percy must have kept it to himself. He didn't tell the Ministry either. By the way, what was the name of the doctor that Percy was seeing to help treat his depression?"

"I have her card somewhere," said Oliver as he looked through his desk. He was currently in his room, while Tonks ended up sleeping the couch. "I didn't really meet her, but I had it just in case. Percy was also on medication, some antidepressants. That's what the Muggles call those kinds of potions."

"Drugs," corrected Tonks. "That's what the Muggles call their potions. So, he was on medication. Did it do him any good?"

Oliver found the card and handed it to her. She was sitting on his chair that was in the room. She accepted and looked at it, "Dr. Maya Shah."

"I don't know if the medicine did him any good," said Oliver. "But, I don't even know if he took them, but he refilled his prescriptions when they emptied, so I guess he was. I think it was the sessions with Dr. Shah that helped him the most." Tonks gave him a questioningly look as he continued, "At first he was only seeing her once a week, but eventually he started seeing her three times a week towards the end."

"Are you also trying to pay those sessions?" asked Tonks. "Muggle medicine isn't cheap, especially the services of a talking healer like Dr. Shah."

"Percy paid her for each session," said Oliver. "It was the hospital bill that was big to start with."

"Good point," said Tonks. "By the way, do you know any good defensive spells?"

Oliver nodded, "Yeah. I do. Why?"

"Because know that for the past couple of years the teachers of DADA in Hogwarts haven't been permanent, so there must have been a lot of switching around."

"Funny, you should say that because Percy felt the same way in school. He used to have advance DADA books and even some dark magic spell books. He started going through those in our last year."

"Really?"

"I think he decided to do that after he found out that his sister was almost killed in the Chamber of Secrets, but sometimes he and I would do some of the spells in the books. He spent more time with Penelope talking about it though."

"Did he have those books by any chance? I saw an outline for a bookshelf in his room."

Oliver nodded, "Yeah, he had lots of those books. I don't know, but I think he sold them to a second hand shop and put the money into his vault. Come to think of it, he had lots of books. Some rare ones for potion brewing, transfiguration, and charms, but the majority of the books were about defense."

Now, that was fascinating to Tonks because she herself had made the comment earlier about the fact that Percy's background was perfect for someone who wanted to be an Auror. He even continued his education after Hogwarts. "Did he ever brew potions at here?" she asked.

"I wouldn't really know. I wasn't here that often until after he tried to kill himself, so I'm not sure," answered Oliver. "So, you're expecting some trouble from the other Aurors."

"Maybe," said Tonks.

"Then, we'd better get moving before they realize what's happened," suggested Oliver. "I'm ready if you are."

"Then, we should move along."

* * *

Dr. White went back to the cell where her patient was after she had taken care of some preparations. The orderlies were making other rounds, but she flagged one down to come down with her to her patient's cell. "Are you sure you want to do this?" asked the orderly. 

"Just open the door," ordered Dr. White. She swallowed as the orderly opened the door. She walked up to him. "I'm going to take you to the infirmary to see if you have any injuries from last night," she told him as soon as she was inside his cell. "Please."

"I don't need any help," he murmured as he remained curled up.

Dr. White came down close to his ear and out of the earshot of the orderly at the door, she whispered, "You need to get out of here. Dr. McCoy isn't what he seems. I believe you, and I need you to trust me now." Her patient looked more alert. She turned and ordered the orderly, "I need you to get me a wheelchair, so that I can take him to the infirmary." The orderly nodded and left.

"I don't know if there is a Dr. McCoy, but that man there isn't him," whispered Dr. White. "I can't tell you how I found out, but we need to get you out of here."

"How do I know you're not lying?" whispered Percy.

"Because you know me," retorted Dr. White as the orderly came back with the wheelchair. Dr. White got to her feet. "Let's take you to the infirmary now. I'll take care of this." Her patient got to his feet and took the wheelchair. "Don't worry. We'll be fine," Dr. White assured the orderly as they walked out of the cell. The orderly locked the cell door behind them.

Dr. White wheeled him down the hall towards the infirmary, which was empty. There was a nurse there and she greeted them with a smile. "Is there anything wrong?" she asked immediately with concern.

"I just need to look over my patient after last night," explained Dr. White. "I don't need any help, but would you mind going and pulling his file, please? I need to make sure he's not allergic to anything."

"Sure, anything you'd like, Dr. White," agreed the nurse and she left.

"We don't have much time. The only thing I can do is make it so that you get out of here," said Dr. White.

"What were you saying about, Dr. McCoy?" he asked again.

"I looked through his desk. It was pretty stupid and pretty dangerous. He had a bunch of vials and a flask. There was a pouch of hair that was the same color as his."

"Was the potion in the vial kind of green?"

Dr. White nodded. He looked around and held out his hand. He narrowed his eyes and Dr. White heard a distinctive click. "Did you just do magic?" she whispered.

"Not exactly," he answered. "It will keep the nurse out for a bit, but not much. She'll probably think the door's stuck." He was breathing hard. "It wasn't all in my head. She was right."

"Who?"

"My last doctor."

"Your last doctor?"

He held up his hand and shook his head. "I'm not going to indulge any of your questions right now, Dr. White. You were saying that I needed to get out of here, so do you. What are you going to do?"

"I was going to say that you needed to go to another hospital for treatment because of injuries from last night."

"Good," he said. "You'll come with me."

"All right."

The nurse came back and tried the door handle. He held up his hand and the door opened the second time the nurse tried the knob. She nearly tripped inside and gave Dr. White a startled look. "Here's his file," she said.

"Thank you," said Dr. White. "However, I would rather have him go to one of the local hospitals for a more thorough check up."

"I think I can handle it."

Dr. White shook her head and insisted, "I'll take care of the arrangements. Don't worry about it, Vanessa."

The nurse shrugged and said, "Whatever you'd like, Doctor. Besides, I do have other patients to attend to. Would you like to use the phone here?"

"Thanks," said Dr. White as she picked up the phone and started to make the arrangements.

* * *

A couple of hours had passed when Tonks returned to the safe place that Oliver and she were staying at. He had spent the good amount of time just trying to go over what Tonks had to see if he could fill in any of the blanks. When she came back, he had a set of notes of his own written out. He wasn't sure how to really do it, but it was close to what she was doing. 

However, along the way, he got bored. He still had Dr. Shah's card among the notes that Tonks had left behind. Oliver decided to play detective for a while himself, but he had never ventured so deep into Muggle London. But, if Percy could do it, so could he. So, Oliver decided to find a map, which wasn't too hard to find.

It turned out that the safe place that Tonks had picked was in Muggle London. Her father owned it, but not a lot of people knew that. She had left Oliver by himself to go and check out Dr. Shah. She also had to look up Alistair Xavier. He figured that she was never the type of person who just jumped into a situation. However, Oliver was the opposite and he didn't want to keep sitting around doing nothing.

Oliver decided that he would talk to Dr. Shah himself and establish a repertoire with her before Tonks could. He set out after taking a look at the map of London that Tonks looked at earlier. He decided to go by foot because he didn't have any Muggle money, and he really wanted to go exploring.

After forty minutes of wandering about, Oliver found the offices of Dr. Shah in an upscale neighborhood. The building was almost indiscreet, so people wouldn't know that it was an office for treating the mentally ill. He took a deep breath before, he opened the door.

A secretary greeted him and he asked to see Dr. Shah. To his surprise, she was very accommodating. She wasn't a very tall woman and she wasn't very old either. She looked like she was in her mid-thirties. "You wanted to speak with me, Mr. Wood?" she asked in a welcoming tone. "I have some time in between appointments. Please a seat."

The room had two armchairs. The one opposite Dr. Shah's was empty, so Oliver sat down. "You know me?" he asked.

"Yes, I do. I was wondering when you would come to see me," replied Dr. Shah.

Oliver felt a little uncomfortable, wondering if Percy felt the same way. "You were expecting me?" he asked.

Dr. Shah nodded and gave him a gently smile. "Percy said that you would come eventually looking for him." Oliver gave her a puzzled look as he shifted a little bit. "I'm not at liberty to give away what he said. In my profession, I have to protect the privacy of my patients, so much so that the laws protect that right."

"Then, you can't tell me anything?"

"I didn't say that, but I can tell you what he wanted you to know. All you have to do is ask the right question first."

Oliver let a minute past as he thought about which question mattered the most. Then he asked very simply, "Is he alive? Is Percy alive?"

* * *

AN: This is turning out to be quite a mystery if I do say so myself. We still don't know why Percy is the way that he is currently. The next chapter should open answer some questions, but I left an opening for Kingsley to be able to catch up with Tonk easily. That won't last for long. Who is Dr. McCoy really?

kirikarin. livejournal. com

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. This story belongs to me and cannot be posted anywhere else without my permission.


	11. Dr Maya Shah

Deconstruction

Chapter Eleven: Dr. Maya Shah

When the ambulance arrived at the back of the kitchens where shipments and supplies were dropped off, the nurse had been sent to bring them in because Dr. White didn't want to leave her patient alone. With the help of the nurse, they were able to keep things as discreet as possible and got the patient out of the hospital almost without a hitch. And it was almost a triumph that they were able to do it under the supervision of Dr. McCoy.

Dr. White went along for the ride as the paramedics looked him over. They tried to argue that her patient didn't need to go to the hospital, but after her adamant insistence, they agreed to drop them off at a hospital. She had purposely requested for a hospital that was further away, which the paramedics were reluctant to agree to. She was able to keep their questions at bay.

When they arrived at the hospital, Dr. White managed to secure some scrubs for her patient. He put them on and they walked out of the hospital together. They hailed a cab and went for a long drive. "I don't suggest you return to your home or back to the hospital," he told her. "He's probably keeping an eye on you since you decided to become my psychologist. Let's stop here."

The cab pulled to a stop, and they got out. "We need to keep moving for now," he said.

"You sound like you've done this before," whispered Dr. White. She noticed how much more alert he was as he looked around. His eyes were constantly moving as he seemed to survey the landscape. "I knew that you weren't sick at all, but why were you there in the first place?"

"I needed a safe place," he answered. "And I am sick. I've told you a lot about my world and where I come from. I need you to tell me what you found in Dr. McCoy's office."

Dr. White nodded and began explaining what she had done and found. She didn't include the warning that Dr. McCoy had given her. When she was done, he looked thoughtful for a moment, and asked, "How well do you know Dr. McCoy?"

"Not that well," admitted Dr. White. "I only started about a week before we met, but he wasn't at all what I expected. He was one of the members of the committee board that hired me."

"How long ago was that?"

"About four and a half months ago."

"How did he seem then?"

"More friendly and open, but he was different when I met him again. Come to think of it, he didn't even welcome me when I arrived. It was only when I decided to take you on that he noticed me."

"Makes sense," he muttered. "I was never alone. Never free of him."

"What?"

"Do you know what they say about nightmares sometimes? Especially about memories. Ones that you don't wish to remember."

"They come out in dreams. Repressed memories."

He was still walking around in scrubs, while she wasn't in her lab coat anymore. They were drawing some attention, but he seemed to ignore him. "I had to find a place safe because of what I knew. I couldn't prove it without him." He faced her for a moment. "It's too complicated to explain, but we need to get you to some place safe. We can't continue being with each other."

The very thought had never really occurred to Dr. White. It never occurred to her that she would have separate from her. He saw the look on her face and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I can't have anyone else getting hurt," he whispered. His tone was never so tender before. "As much as I don't want to admit it, I do care about what happens to you. I have tried my hardest to keep what I feel separate from me as much as possible because of my work."

"You can't," she said softly. "It's part of who you are. Any person with any sense of who you are would know it. You can't stop empathizing and not caring about people."

He scoffed, "It's funny how both qualities can be strengths and weaknesses."

* * *

"I can't really confirm, if he's alive or not," said Dr. Shah. "He asked for my help and I gave it." 

"Why was he going to you more and more?" asked Oliver.

Dr. Shah asked back, "Did he have nightmares?"

Oliver nodded, "They happened a often on and off. At first, he'd just go back to sleep, but eventually he'd tried to stay awake on purpose. He never told me what the dreams were about, but I think he had something to do with his work."

"You are correct in that assumption," said Dr. Shah. "Most of all of what I have done with Percy is supposed to remain confidential. I know of your world and I have heard about you. You were the one who saved his life, and he trusts you with some of his secrets."

"What did he tell you?" asked Oliver.

"Most of the time, I'm not practicing psychiatry. That is the true. I'm normally in the university doing research," explained the doctor. "My expertise is in the recovery and verification of repressed memories."

"You mean that Percy had something buried deep inside his mind?" asked Oliver. "Something happened to him?"

"I'm also an expert on hypnosis," explained Dr. Shah as she got to her feet. "It is one of the best methods used to uncover what is buried deep in one's psyche. I have spent more than twenty years of my career proving its validity and value to my profession by doing research and experiments."

"However, Percy was the oddest case I had ever seen," she admitted as she continued. "He was avoiding a lot of what he was experiencing through his work rather than confronting what was troubling him. It took the first couple of sessions before he was able to trust me. It took more than a month before he allowed me to do the first hypnosis. After that, it was even more difficult for us to interpret, even for him. I'm not one of you, so I couldn't even begin to understand myself."

"The first couple of sessions yielded very little. It wasn't until we dove deeper. There were several layers. The superficial layer was disturbing and one could easily take it at face value."

"Did it have something to do with the murder of someone?" asked Oliver, thinking of Penelope Clearwater.

Dr. Shah nodded. "I'm assuming that you know about the murder? I did a little research to his story and found the articles on the unsolved murder. It was covered by the newspapers." She stood up and went through a bottom filing cabinet and pulled out a thin file. "Here are the original articles."

Oliver looked through it and saw that it was about Penelope. He thought it was eerie that the pictures were frozen in time. She wasn't blinking nor moving about in anyway. It was like viewing a body in a casket with the eyes wide open. "Did he know something about the murder?"

"From all appearances, it looked like he was the one who killed her."

"He killed Penelope? I don't believe it."

"I didn't say he did it. It looked like he did." She got up again and this time went to a portrait that was hanging on the wall. She lifted the frame, revealing a wall safe. She put in the combination and took out a box. Dr. Shah explained, "I taped all of our sessions together, and he told me to allow you to listen to them in the event that you should come looking for him."

She picked up a tape recorder that was sitting on her desk and brought the box with her. She set them both on a small table that was between the two chairs that she and Oliver were sitting at. "There is a specific one that you should listen to." She read the dates on the labels before inserting one of them into the tape deck.

Oliver knew nothing about Muggle technology. In fact, he laughed at Percy when he announced he was going to be taking Muggle Studies back in Hogwarts. It seems that Percy had a good idea back then. Needless to say, hearing Percy's voice on the recording was haunting.

_"Concentrate. As you dig deeper into your mind."_ The first voice was obviously Dr. Shah's. _"What do you remember that day? What did you see?"_

_"I see her falling from the window. I'm standing just watching her fall. I see her body spattered all over the ground."_ Percy's trembling voice seemed to echo in the silence of the office. _"I did it. It's my fault. I killed her."_

Oliver gasped as he shook his head. "He didn't do it. He wouldn't do it," he denied. Dr. Shah stopped the tape player.

"I told you that there were several layers to all of this," warned Dr. Shah. "I don't think he killed her. I think that someone else did. It involved me learning more about your world. I'm sure you've heard, if not learned how to do memory modifying spells?"

Oliver nodded. "In school, just in case anyone of you should find out accidentally, we can use it to modify memories. Normally only our authorities learn how to use them, but some of us learn how just in case. As a government employee, he might have been required to learn it. I don't know how to do the spell myself."

"He had nightmares of things that came and haunted him," said Dr. Shah. "He was a very troubled young man. You knew that. You have covered it up for him and protected him, but you can't continue to do that and ignore what you are looking at. He knew that the time would come that you wouldn't be able to keep your questions to yourself. He didn't want to answer for himself, but I think that you can understand why."

"He didn't trust himself."

Dr. Shah gave him a grim nod as she looked through the tapes again. "This time I have left this recording at just his voice. We went over the murder over and over again. In my profession, one can say they committed a murder, but I am only suppose to break my code of silence if I am given permission to do so or if my patient intends to commit another murder."

She put in the next tape and pressed the play button.

_"These nightmares are worse than seeing her dead over and over again. I see something coming at me. I have my wand out, but I'm overwhelmed quickly. The next thing, I see it's taking down it's hood. I know what it is. It opens its mouth and it's coming for me. I blacked out again. When I wake up, I'm back in my flat, but I don't remember how I got there."_

"Dementor," whispered Oliver. "But I don't understand what happened. He never took any time off. I don't get it. He was out the first time after he tried to kill himself. Unless someone came into the Ministry looking like him. When did he say this happened?"

"That's why I had to get all the articles together on the murder. Together, we were trying to piece together a timeline, but he was starting to suspect that someone had posed as him and modified his memory. Are those things possible?"

"Yes," answered Oliver. "It still doesn't explain why anyone would do all that. What was it about Percy?"

"That was when he cut me off," said Dr. Shah. "He was protecting a part of himself that he didn't want other people to know about. He had a strong sense of duty about it."

Oliver thought of something else. Something that he hadn't even told Tonks, although it had been in plain sight in the flat the entire time. Why he didn't tell her, he didn't know, but right now it seemed that it mattered a lot. "One of the few hobbies he had other than reading was drawing. When he couldn't sleep, he'd start drawing. I kept some of them. He used both sides of the paper because the type of paper he liked to use is expensive."

Dr. Shah nodded. "I was the one who helped him," she continued. "About three months ago, he asked me to find him a safe place to rest and to put together what was the last of the puzzle. He said that he couldn't do it where he was anymore and that the people around him would be in danger, if he continued to stay. So, I got in touch with a friend of mine who worked for a hospital up north. His name is Gregory McCoy and he agreed to take him in as a patient. It's a hospital for the mentally ill. He should still be there."

"Good," said Oliver. "Would you mind giving me the address?"

"I don't know if he would have wanted me to put you in danger. I haven't heard from my friend in a while, but I suppose it is because he has been very busy," answered Dr. Shah as they both got to their feet. He followed her to her desk as she rifled through it and found the business card. "I hope you know what you're doing, Mr. Wood," she said softly. "Good luck to you."

"I have a feeling I'm going to need it. Thank you, Dr. Shah," said Oliver and he left the office.

* * *

Remus went to the Aurors after he had visited Tonks' apartment to find that she wasn't there, which wasn't entirely a surprise to him. She had left a note to the manager of her building, saying that she had gone on holiday. However, it seemed that the Aurors were going to be busy with something else. Remus found Kingsley looking very busy at the moment. 

"What's going on?" asked Remus.

Kingsley looked up from a packet of work. "The Minister has called upon the leaders of the continent to come to Great Britain for discussions of the threat of You-Know-Who. It was just announced today."

"How long before this meeting takes place?" asked Remus.

"Three days," answered Kingsley. "I really wished that the Minister had given more notice to us, but we must get security ready for it. Did you find Tonks?"

"She went on holiday," answered Remus. "She didn't say where, but she's no where to be found."

Kingsley froze mid-movement as he looked up at Remus with a look that could only be classified as surprised anger. "She went on holiday?" he repeated. "I told that she was off the case, not to go on holiday. We need her here for what's going on now."

"Sorry," said Remus with a shrug.

Kingsley took a deep breath and said, "We can't continue with the investigation on Percy's disappearance. Our resources must be redirected to the security of the Minister and the other visiting dignitaries. I don't know what I'm going to tell Arthur."

"I think that they might continue the investigation on their own," offered Remus. "I'm pretty sure that Arthur going to know about this soon enough, if not already."

"Where do you think Tonks went?"

"No idea."

If Remus was lying, Kingsley couldn't tell. There were times when Kingsley had to admit that he never quite understood Remus. They weren't entirely too close, but after the death of Sirius Black, they had gotten to know each other better. Remus spent most of his time moving between groups quite easily, but never finding a permanent place. He was a werewolf, but a lone wolf all the same. Sometimes he wondered about what Remus did when he wasn't with the Order, but Kingsley never ventured to ask.

"Remus, would you mind telling Arthur about this?" asked Kingsley. "I would go myself, but I'm swamped."

"No problem," agreed Remus. "It will give me something to do."

"Thanks," said Kingsley and with that Remus was out the door.

When Oliver returned to the safe house, Tonks was waiting for him. She was pacing back and forth. She immediately pivoted when he Apparated in. "Where the bloody Hell have you been?" she demanded as she marched up to him. Oliver almost shrunk back from her. He was bigger than her, but she was scary and livid.

"You were suppose to stay here. Where did you go?" she demanded.

"I went to go and talk to Dr. Shah," he replied.

"You what?" demanded Tonks as her eyes widened.

"So, I just jumped in. You don't have to be overly prepared for everything. She told me a lot of things and I know where Percy is."

Tonks sank down into the sofa like air coming out of a balloon. "Oh. And all that research for nothing," she muttered.

"She wouldn't have told you anything anyway," said Oliver. "It's me she was waiting for."

"Tell me what happened. Just the gist of it because I have something you need to know, too," surrendered Tonks. Oliver told her what had happened. It took a while because she kept asking questions, but he wasn't too worried about them.

When Oliver was done, he asked, "What about you?"

"It wasn't that hard to find out about Dr. Shah. She has several articles about her research, so I was able to conclude by myself that Percy probably has some memories locked and hidden away. I did more searching for Alistair Xavier. He's been on his long term assignment since before Penelope died. No one has had visual contact with him since then from the Prophet. There hasn't been a face to face meeting either. He reports back to the paper with owls. I also did a background check on him. He had attended Drumstrang Academy in Bulgaria, but his mother was English, while his father was a Spaniard who was an ambassador to the Ministry of Magic. He speaks a multitude of languages."

"His parents haven't heard from him?"

"Both them are dead. They were living in England during the time that You-Know-Who was around for the first time," answered Tonks. "His father had attended Drumstrang, so Xavier was sent there as well rather than Hogwarts by his father's relatives. He was raised partially in England by his mother's relatives, then by his father's. He became a reporter while he was still a student and was hired by the Daily Prophet upon his graduation from Drumstrang."

"What about Percy? How did Alistair know him?"

"That's what I'm still trying to figure out, but for right now we may not have to worry about it. Let me see the business card," answered Tonks. Oliver handed it to her. "Dr. Gregory McCoy. Head of Admissions." She looked at the card. "We'll have to get out of here in order to use a phone."

"Fine," agreed Oliver. "I'm hungry anyway. Is there any place nearby that we can eat?"

"Sure," said Tonks as she grabbed her coat. "You'll owe me since you don't have any Muggle money."

After a quick lunch, Tonks used a phone to make the call. It was getting harder and harder to find one of the traditional red phone booths in London because more and more of the Muggles were using cellular phones. She called the number and found that he lived close to the hospital.

"It seems that he lives in another city. There's something happening in the hospital and he can't receive my call," explained Tonks as she got out of the phone booth. "We'll have to go there ourselves. Besides, we've stayed at one place too long anyway."

Oliver nodded. They returned to Tonks' father's house and prepared to move again. This time they didn't have to worry about the Ministry or the Aurors because of the preparations being made for the Minister's important meeting with other ministers. They Apparated to the city where the hospital was, but they didn't know that Percy was long gone and that their search would be diverted down another path.

* * *

AN: I threw in all the psych stuff I learned in school. After all, I have a degree in the subject. There are way too many doctors in this thing, but there are only two true doctors. I have planned for Tonks and Oliver to never make it to the hospital with something that will stop them in their tracks. Meanwhile, I've also thrown in the Minister's meeting, which is actually very important to the movement of the plot. 

Kirikarin . livejournal . com

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. This story belongs to me and cannot be posted anywhere else without my permission.


	12. The Man In The Trunk

Deconstruction

Chapter Twelve: The Man In The Trunk

Remus called upon the Weasleys to meet with him for lunch, but he wasn't overly surprised that Arthur couldn't make it. Molly had prepared warm soup with sandwiches for them to eat as her sons filtered in. Molly had spent most of her time cleaning the house over and over again. Anything to keep herself distracted from her worries.

"I'm just trying to make sure that no vermin get in here," said Molly as she wiped down the countertop. The lines around her eyes were deeper. "I'm sorry that Arthur couldn't make it. The Minister had to meet with him."

Remus nodded as he took a sip of his drink. He put it down and said, "That's why I'm here, Molly."

She stopped her cleaning for a moment and turned to face him. She asked, "Did you hear anything yet? Kingsley has all of the information from Tonks' search, doesn't he?"

"Sorry, I'm a little late," said Bill as he came in. "There's so much to do at the bank today. Where's the others?"

"You're the first one here," Molly told him. "It's not unusual for people to be so busy today." Bill leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"So, what's been going on?" asked Bill, turning his attention to Remus.

Remus answered, "There's going to be a big meeting with the Minister and other ministers and representatives. Everyone's got their hands full with that. The Order should be having a meeting about it soon."

"This is about Percy, isn't it?" asked Bill.

Remus didn't have a chance to answer because Charlie, Fred, and George Apparated in. "Hullo Remus," greeted George. The others eyed Remus, seemingly knew that there was something wrong. "What were you talking about before we came in?" asked Fred.

"I have some news about the search for Percy, but it's not really good news," admitted Remus. "With the big meeting that's going to be happening all of the Aurors have been redirected to cover security for visitors. That includes Kingsley."

Molly looked horrified at what Remus was saying, so much so that she interrupted him before he could continue, "You mean to tell me that no one will be free to go and look for Percy?"

"That's what I came here to tell you. Kingsley's really sorry about it, too."

"If I had known that this is what was going to happen, I would have just let Tonks keep looking regardless of what she thought of us," exclaimed Molly angrily. "At least I know that she cared enough to stay with the case."

"I went looking for her, but Tonks decided to take a holiday," said Remus almost wincing as he waited for Molly's next reaction.

It was Charlie who expressed the general opinion of the room, "She went on holiday? Why would she do that? She sent all the information, but it was all in pieces. Damn it."

"She must have been mad if she left town," said Fred. His voice was uncharacteristically soft. He had been very quiet since the investigation had begun. "I was just thinking how Percy was before. No matter how we treated him, he'd never do anything to me or George. He would just walk away in a huff, but perhaps Tonks might be right. Maybe we didn't know him at all."

Molly sniffled. "It was like having a stranger in the house," she agreed reluctantly. "I thought I knew him the best." Bill, who was standing behind her, gently rubbed her shoulders.

"I was going to say just because the Aurors can't continue looking, doesn't mean that you can't," pointed out Remus. "You have all the information that Tonks had given Kingsley and he since he can't continue, it doesn't mean that he won't give it to you."

"Maybe, Oliver had something and just didn't tell Tonks," said George. "I mean for someone who was so thorough with everything else, she didn't really question Oliver that deeply. Fred, why don't you and I drop by to see him?"

"I guess we haven't got much of a choice, but to take over ourselves," agreed Bill. "Here, I'll make some inquires at the bank. Charlie, why don't you go into the Ministry and ask some questions there? Maybe there were other things that Tonks didn't get to."

"And Fred and I will go to Oliver's place. That was Percy's last known address," said George as Fred nodded.

Molly didn't say anything, but she served lunch. Everyone eat in silence. Her sons finished their meals quickly and went out the door to hunt for their missing brother as fast as they could.

* * *

Tonks and Oliver arrived in the quiet town where the hospital was situated. Tonks, knowing more about the Muggle world, knew that they simply couldn't step onto the hospital grounds to just ask about Percy. They didn't even know for sure if he was there, and Tonks had left without doing an research like she normally did. Oliver had even less of an idea how to get to the hospital. The whole idea of having a large place like that ward in St. Mungo's made him unease.

Tonks looked up the phone number of Dr. McCoy's residence, but she tried to call the hospital first. They had checked into an inn with rooms next to each other. Oliver was playing around the with the television.

"Would you mind lowering the volume?" asked Tonks loudly.

Oliver turned and retorted, "I would if I knew how."

"Give me that," ordered Tonks, grabbing the remote out of his hand. She turned off. "I'm trying to make a call." She held up her hand before he could say anything else. "Hello, I would like to speak to Dr. Gregory McCoy."

The voice on the other end sounded stress as he replied, "I'm sorry, but Dr. McCoy is unavailable at the moment. Would you like to live him a message?"

"No," replied Tonks. "Do you know when he'll be available?"

"I can't say. The hospital is currently on lockdown," answered the voice. "I have to go now." The line went dead.

Tonks hung up. Oliver stared at her. "Nothing?" he asked.

"No, the hospital just went under lockdown," she replied. "That means that if he's in there, we won't be able to know for sure."

"What about going and talking to Dr. McCoy directly?"

"You mean going into his house and waiting for him?"

"What choice do we have?"

Tonks couldn't help, but feel anxious about what was going on. "There's no telling when he'll be back there," she whispered.

Oliver pointed out, "We could just wait. It's better than sitting here or trying to get past all the Muggles without using magic. Besides, Dr. Shah said that they were friends. He was the one who made arrangements."

"Maybe, there's something in the house."

"You know you've got the daring to make a good Auror," said Tonks. "But you don't have the morals for the work."

"How do you know that for sure?" asked Oliver. "All I really care about is finding Percy."

"Then, we'd better go," said Tonks. "We need to get there before it gets too late. We want to be there before he gets back to his house."

* * *

"We need to get you some different clothes," pointed out Dr. White. "And you need to stop calling me doctor."

"What do you want to be called then?" he asked with some amusement.

"Gwen."

"Gwen," he repeated as if feeling out her name in his lips.

She just realized something and asked, "I still don't know you're name."

"It doesn't matter," he said calmly. "We won't be together much longer anyway."

Gwen bit her lower lip and tried to smile for him, but was unable to. She nodded as if she truly understood. "I can't say that I won't miss you. You helped me understand something about myself that I didn't understand before."

"Good. Then we're even."

"Let's go and get some new clothes and some food. I have my wallet with me," she said, changing the subject. She cleared her throat as they continued in silence. She truly didn't understand why they couldn't stay the way they were. She had come to need him. He was the closest person she had to a friend in a long time.

She was going to have to let him go and she didn't even ask how he was able to lock the door back at the hospital. She knew that he wasn't going to give her an answer. The next thought she had was that she had to protect him. He was going to separate from her in order to protect her. That much she was able to sense. Defying all logic and reason, she knew that he was trustworthy.

She was afraid of losing him.

* * *

Fred and George stopped by the Oliver's flat. They were a little surprised by the location. They didn't go into the Muggle world that often, and it was almost unbelievable that Percy would live in such an area. They were preparing to go inside when they noticed an elderly gentleman was watching them.

"You look like that other young man who used to live there," he commented as he squinted at them through his glasses.

"Did you know him?" asked Fred anxiously. "Have you seen him?"

"No, I have not," replied the gentleman. "He was not very open. He would leave on most of the weekends unless the other one was here."

"Weekends?"

"Yes, but that was until he had to go to the hospital down the street. One could never really tell how troubled a person is."

George asked, "What do you mean? Why would he need to go to a hospital?"

"I do not know."

"Thank you," said Fred. "But we'd like to get inside and we have a key."

"Yes," confirmed George. "Thanks." They waited until the gentleman was on his way before Fred unlocked the door using his wand. They walked into the flat which was as cold as a tomb.

"This place is huge," commented Fred. "But it looks like no one's here."

"Maybe Oliver's at practice," said George. "Why don't we just get going?"

Fred wandered to the mail and started to rifle through the papers. "Do you remember how Ron had to send a letter to Harry through Muggle post?" he asked.

George nodded, "And he had to up postage stamps on them. It's proof of payment."

"Then, why was Percy receiving Muggle post?" asked Fred as he opened the envelope. "It's a bill."

"A bill?" asked George as he walked up to Fred and read over his shoulder. "I guess Percy going to the hospital is true. What was he there for? When was he there?"

"Months before he disappeared," whispered Fred. "He was still working in the Ministry. We didn't see him since before then. He must have been sick the entire time."

"Why didn't he go for treatment at St. Mungo's? Why did he let the Muggles treat him? They cut people open like fish for crying out loud," exclaimed George as he started to look around. He was opening cabinets. It seemed that Oliver hadn't cleaned out some of them because one of the drawers had a prescription bottle in them. "Look at this, Fred."

"What?"

"It's a bottle. It's got something I can't read, but it's got to be one of those Muggle potions," said George. "It says here that it's for the treatment of clinical depression. It's for Percy. There's another name on it, M. Shah." He glanced at Fred. "What does this all mean?"

"I don't know," muttered Fred. "I just don't know."

He walked around and stared at one of the drawings on the wall. It was a delicately drawing of an owl. "George, come and look at this," he said loudly.

George walked over and saw the picture on the wall. "That's nice, but it's not moving."

"I know that," snapped Fred. "But look at the way it's drawn. I think Percy drew this."

"Are you sure? I didn't think he was that artistic," said George skeptically.

Fred lifted the picture off the wall. "Remember, whatever we know about Percy might be wrong, but this might have something." He took it to the table and slipped off the backing.

The twins gasped at the same time, "Oh God."

It was a drawing the resembled something like "The Scream" except it was the face of a Dementor. It had been done completely in pencil, but the picture practically leaped off the page. Its face was a rotting mass of flesh, but its eyes, nostrils, and its mouth were pronounced. "I think we'd better take this with us," whispered George. "I'll go look for more pictures."

Fred went through and started searching through the rest of the mail. He went up the stairs while George took all the pictures off the walls. Fred found the empty bed room and found Oliver's room. He opened the closet and drawers. Things were missing. It was fairly obvious that he was gone. "George, Oliver's gone. He's not going to be back for a while. He must have gotten out while the going was good," he announced as he went down the stairs. "What else did you find?"

"Portraits," answered George as Fred joined him at the table. "Here's one of Penelope. The others I don't know, but one of them is a Death Eater."

Fred studied the pictures. "He drew all of these and Oliver kept them in plain sight." He saw the picture of Penelope with her eyes closed, while the other two had their eyes opened. "Her eyes are closed. He must have drawn this after she died."

George looked at the picture of the other young man. "He looks like he's around Percy's age. Probably someone he knows, but I have no idea who he is. Maybe, he knew him from work."

"Or he could be Alistair Xavier," said Fred.

The twins stared at the last picture hard. It was a picture of a beard man with angry flashing eyes. He had thick dark hair and a thin aristocratic nose. He looked very regal indeed, but Percy had drawn the Death Eater symbol on his forehead.

"We need to take this to the Aurors," said George. "So, Oliver left?"

"Yeah," answered Fred. "It seems that he left, but not too much in a hurry. He was able to make it look like he wasn't going anywhere."

"That's another person gone missing," muttered George. "No wonder Tonks was losing it. It's like Percy's a vortex or something."

"More questions than answers," agreed Fred. "Let's get out of here. There no telling if Oliver will be back or not, but if he does get back, I've got a lot of questions for him."

* * *

As soon as nightfall came, Tonks and Oliver were at the residence of Dr. McCoy. He lived in a townhouse near the hospital, and it was obviously built decades ago. He lived at the end of a quiet neighborhood. The electric lights were on in the homes and in the streetlamps. Oliver was the first one at the door as Tonks looked around. He used his wand to unlock the door. They quietly crept into the house.

To their surprise, the house looked normal. However, when Tonks tried to flicker her wand on, it wouldn't work. "What the—"

"My wand won't work either," finished Oliver. "I mean we got inside easy enough. Let me check the door to make sure we can get out." He tried the door and found that he could still open it. "This is weird."

"I don't want to turn on the Muggle lights in case the neighbors notice," said Tonks. "But we won't be able to see once we step away from the windows. The only reason why we can see right now is because there are the lampposts outside."

"Maybe there are candles or something," suggested Oliver. "I don't understand why we can't use our wands."

"Maybe there's a spell in the house," said Tonks as she looked around. "It might be the reason why Dr. Shah trusted Dr. McCoy with Percy's secret."

Oliver shook his head. "I don't think so. From what I could tell from Dr. Shah, she wouldn't have told anyone unless she was given permission to do so, but I don't think Percy would have agreed to do it unless he knew Dr. McCoy ahead of time."

Tonks sighed. "Enough of this talking in the dark," she announced as she turned on the light. "I don't think any of the neighbors are going to be outside anyway. It's too dark. Let's close the curtains just the same." Quickly, they closed the curtains.

"There has to be something in this house that doesn't allow us to do magic," said Tonks. "We have to figure out what it is."

"Dr. McCoy could be home at any minute," said Oliver. "So let's make this quick."

Tonks started walking on the carpet and noticed the floorboard was loose. "Oliver, get off the carpet. There's something loose under it." Oliver moved off and so did Tonks onto the other side. "Okay, let's move this aside."

Together they slide the carpet aside and saw that there were two long planks for floorboard loose. "Careful. Watch your fingers," said Tonks as they lifted on both sides to move the first one. They did the same with the second one. "It looks like a trunk. By the looks of things, it hasn't been here for very long."

"What could be inside it?" whispered Oliver.

"Only one way to find out," answered Tonks as she walked around to the edge where she could see the lock. "Let's hope that he didn't lock it." She slide the latch and opened the lid. She gasped so did Oliver.

There was a body folded into the trunk. It was obvious that it was the body of a man, but he wasn't decomposing. He looked around his mid to late thirties and his graying, short brown hair looked like someone had clipped a lock of it.

"I think we just found Dr. McCoy," whispered Oliver.

Tonks would have responded, but neither of them knew that the spell on the house that prevented magic from being used was just disarmed. "_Stupefy!"_ roared a voice from behind them. Oliver and Tonks dropped.

A tall dark figure slowly walked towards them. He stopped for a moment and dipped down close, studying Tonks' face. He traced a finger along her jaw line, ignoring Oliver all together. He knew that the neighbors would have heard some of the noise. He also knew that the police would be coming by soon to look for Dr. McCoy, so he didn't even bother to cover up the body. He picked up Tonks and hoisted her over his shoulder. He went to the fireplace and lit a fire. In less than an instant, he was gone with his unexpected prize.

* * *

AN: There's a cold reality. Another death. There are a couple of things that were introduced that lead up to clues. Ones that Tonks had missed, even though she might be the closest one to finding Percy. It's kind of ironic that Oliver would break into someone else's home as Fred and George broke into his. This is probably the last time you will see Percy and Gwen together in a chapter. By the next one, they have already separated.

kirikarin. livejournal. com

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. This story belongs to me and cannot be posted anywhere else without my permission.


	13. Two Faces of the Same Coin

Deconstruction

Chapter Thirteen: Two Faces of the Same Coin

The meeting with the Weasleys ended when Arthur was called back to the Ministry. While Remus went off back to his cottage, Molly busied herself with making dinner as the brothers continued to discuss finding Percy again. They went into another room with the rest of pictures and other things from Oliver's flat.

"What the Hell was Percy mixed up in?" exclaimed Bill frustrated. "He never does things easy."

Charlie took a deep breath. "What do you think Remus meant by he can handle it? It's like he knows something. Every time we've hit a dead end, he comes up with something more."

"You ever wonder how he makes his living. I mean ever since that Toad, Umbridge, made it so that werewolves and the like can't find employment so easily," said Fred, thinking out loud. "He was the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor one year. It was Percy's seventh year and our fifth. Ron's third."

"Yeah, and he was very good, too," said George. "I'd say the best DADA professor we've ever had, but after Snape announced to the world that he was a werewolf, Lupin didn't stick around."

Bill said, "We don't know him as well as you two do. I mean we've known him on and off and only in the meetings. But, you're right. Did Professor Lupin and Percy know each other outside of class perhaps?"

"I don't know," said Fred as he glanced at George.

George added, "Percy was Head Boy and it was a very busy year. The Dementors moved in to catch Sirius Black, and he had his N.E.W.T.s on top of that. How he made it through that year was amazing."

"Okay, let's assume a couple of things," said Bill as he got to his feet. "First off, let's assume for the first time that Percy knew what was going on. He decided to leave on his own because that's what the evidence says. Let's also assume that Remus Lupin knows what's going and that the timeline is wrong. Percy didn't kill Penelope, and if he along with Alistair were friends with her, then we can assume that neither of them would kill her. So, that leaves Lestrange. He could be the one behind all of it. Everything."

"If Lestrange is as dangerous and deadly as Remus has said, then how can Percy face off against him? What makes Remus so sure?" asked Charlie.

"I don't know," admitted Bill. "All I know is, if Remus has that much faith in Percy, then we need to believe that he's not dead and that he's somewhere out there. What if Percy had planned it all this way? I mean if there was one thing Percy knew how to do, it's plan ahead. He's always been very good at chess."

Fred shook his head, "That's assuming we're right. If this whole thing has taught any of us anything, it's that we don't know Percy at all."

They fell into silence after that and remained that way for a good amount of time. The puzzle was just getting larger with each passing instant. One could put a puzzle of a picture together and could still be unable to understand what the picture means. That was going to be the end result.

* * *

When Tonks regained consciousness again, she was free of the chains. She still couldn't move her body though. Someone had put a partial body binding curse on her. It was more terrifying than the chains. Her whole body was paralyzed, except for her head. She shut her eyes. She heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

The person came down to her level and caressed her cheek. Tonks would have shuddered if she could. His fingers grazed her lips again. It was familiar sensation. The same one from before. She opened her mouth just enough to take a nip of the fingers, but they cleverly pulled away before she had a chance. Her teeth clashed against each other, making her jaw hurt.

"I see you're awake," said the voice calmly. "I must apologize for the lapse in hospitality earlier."

"Who are you?" whispered Tonks in a hoarse voice. "Where am I?"

"You looks so much like her. Most of the family has boys now," he whispered almost wistfully. "Yes, you look so much like her."

"Like who?" demanded Tonks. She was having difficulty breathing.

"You look like her before the Ministry threw us into Azkaban," the voice continued. "So young. Remarkable." The fingers caressed her cheek again. Tonks used whatever strengthen she had to jerk her head away. The fingers seemed to have sensed her next movement and a lock of her hair was caught in his fingers. "Very much like her," he whispered.

"Who?" she whispered desperately. "I'm an Auror. There will be people looking for me. It won't take long. If you just let me go now, it will give you enough time to move on. What do you want from me?"

"The Ministry ruined my life," the voice whispered. His fingers gripped the lock of her hair tightly. He pulled slightly and a burst of pain resonated in her scalp. "They took everything from me."

"I don't understand. You won't tell me who you are. How can I understand?" moaned Tonks as she felt tears prick the corner of her eyes. "You're hurting me." It was frustrating when someone demands understanding without the slightest explanation. "Make me understand."

The person didn't want to explain because he was gone before she even realized it. Tonks was not only tired and afraid, she was also hungry. She hadn't eaten in hours, but it really wasn't that important at the moment. Nothing in her Auror training would have prepared her for this. She didn't know what was going to happen to her and that was the scariest thing of all.

* * *

Arthur was busy talking to Minister Diggory who was explaining some of the situation. "I have an uneasiness about this upcoming meeting," he revealed as he poured himself a cup of tea. "It's been too quiet lately."

"Why should that bother you, Amos?" asked Arthur.

Minister Diggory gave a shadow of a smile. He had thrown himself completely into his work after he was done grieving the death of his only child. However, no parent could ever be over grieving about the death of a child. "I've heard that you're looking for Percy," said the minister.

Arthur was a little amazed. "How did you find out?"

"The Ministry has its eyes and ears everywhere."

Arthur felt a little uncomfortable as he took a sip of his tea. "Interesting. It's surprising that you'd say that in your position, yet your predecessor was taken down by his own corruption." Arthur didn't mean it as an insult. He was just pointing out something that interested him.

Minister Diggory sat back down on the his favorite armchair. Arthur was meeting with him in the Minister's residence rather in his office. "The Ministry has a special network that maintains the balance of power within it. It's to ensure that the Ministry doesn't crumble under its own weight. The Game has been around for almost as long as the Ministry has been around."

"The Game?"

"It's a special network of agents trained to be Aurors, but they're not. They called players," said Minister Diggory. "I believe it has been call that traditionally because the Ministry didn't want it to seem too sinister."

"Sounds pretty harmless to me."

"I don't even know who most of the players are, but I have a feeling that your son might have been one. How else could he take down the last Minister?"

Arthur's mouth was agape with shock and he snapped his mouth shut. "That's impossible. Percy wouldn't do that."

"How do you know that, Arthur?" asked Minister Diggory. "I looked into it today after I heard from one the players of the Game. His background and education are what makes me suspect him. As a father, you must be proud to have such a brilliant son."

Arthur nodded. "I refuse to believe that there is a network of people out there in charge of watching our every move."

"There are been attempts on my life that haven't been brought the public's attention," revealed Minister Diggory. "I'm afraid I'm not that popular with some of the hardliners. I'm hoping this meeting with drum up some support and goodwill among us. It has been very difficult to settle things since I came into office. You wouldn't believe the other messes that were left behind. Your son was his aide, so my own aide has gone through the files."

"What did Percy leave behind?" asked Arthur.

"He left all of the evidence against Fudge," replied Minister Diggory. "It was so much evidence that Fudge confessed. He was utterly betrayed by Percy. He thought he had control over him."

Arthur gave a hollow laugh. "That was probably Fudge's biggest error, thinking he had any control of over him. If there is one thing from all this I have learned about my own son, it's that."

Minister Diggory's eyes flickered for a moment. His voice softened as he said, "Arthur, just because you have other children doesn't mean that he's any less your child. I would hate to think that you will live the regret of never knowing him. You may not get that chance." He looked away for a moment.

Arthur didn't look at the Minister for a moment and knew that his friend required a moment. "There was evidence that something happened to him, but I don't know what happened," he whispered. "Something terrible that he couldn't come to us and ask for help. He was always like that, Amos. No matter how hard something was, Percy just had to figure it out for himself."

"Has he always been successful?"

"Come to think of it, yes. Always."

"Then, you maybe worrying about nothing, Arthur," pointed out the Minister. He cleared his throat as a gesture to change topics and return to business. "Do you have the revised itinerary for the meetings?"

"Yes," said Arthur. "I've read it over. You want me to meet and greet them? Are you so sure about that?"

"I would rather have someone I trust meet them. I've gotten rid of almost all the people who were under Fudge," replied Minister Diggory. "The Ministry needed a fresh start after all that. Arthur, how would you feel about being promoted out of your current position?"

Arthur shook his head, "I'm afraid, Amos, that I can't possibly do that. You have your passions and I have mine."

Minister Diggory gave him a smile, "I figured as much, but it didn't hurt to ask."

* * *

It was going to take some planning. Percy was going to have a plan several phases ahead. He had found a safe place to stay that he used to meet Ali and Penny at before. He had taken a big risk going there, but he had little choice at this point. He had to prepare himself for what he had to do.

Percy had some powers on his side. He had the ability to be invisible when required, maneuvering and manipulating the background to the point where his actions bled into the foreground. Many people would consider that ability that of a villains, but that was a matter of belief, morality, and disposition. If Percy was feeling particularly deceitful, he was known to use it. After all, growing up in the Weasley family as the third son with years separating his younger siblings from the older ones required that he learn how to manipulate his environment.

And this what he did in so many words and way to Dr. White, despite his fondness for her, Percy controlled her as a means to an end. However, Percy meant everything he said to her and that was where his other power came from. He was charismatic, but only when he told the truth and didn't hold himself back. Percy knew his weaknesses better than his strengthens.

He was the type of man who one could know for years and still know nothing about. He was the type of man who kept parts of him sealed away because he was a highly sensitive person, and the only person in his family who could attest to that was his mother. His friends who could say that about him were Oliver and Penny. They were the ones who knew him best.

He was both compassionate and empathetic. A person who was filled with deep complexities that his brothers were only starting to discover. Why Percy never touted his own goodness and would glorify his shallow accomplishments? That was unknown to himself, but it was because it showed some weakness in a family full of brothers. Bill and Charlie had what one could classify as manly occupations, which was something that Percy found hard to live up to.

That was how he was up till his last year in Hogwarts. It was the year that changed his life completely. In that single year, his path was set in a different direction, but even he couldn't have imagined where this would lead him.

Percy supposed that Alistair didn't know what was going to happen either. There was a part of Percy that couldn't declare Alistair as an enemy. They had known each other for only a few years, but under the worst of circumstances. That was what was going to make the next phase difficult for Percy. Because even though Alistair had betrayed him and Penelope, Percy couldn't imagine him doing whatever it took to stop him.

Even with his limited years of experience, Percy was still more than capable of carrying out one of the rules of his occupation: complete the task with whatever means necessary. Percy sighed. He didn't even have a wand with him, but that wasn't too important him. He couldn't cast spells that required him to say incantations. What he did at the hospital was an ability that took years of honing and practice. It was uncommon power among full grown wizards and witches.

Most of the time, a wand was used to focus the powers of any given witch or wizard. However, every one of them had the ability to use magic without a wand, but it was a skill that waned with the usage of a wand. Using wands focused the magic, but they also became the root of dependency among the wizarding population. During Percy's training, he was forced to learn how to focus his magic without the aid of a wand.

As his instructor and recruiter told him, one had to be able to function without a wand just in case one was ever separated from it. Percy faithfully learned how to harness this ability and was more graceful in its use than Penny ever was, but then again her gift was in healing. She was able to learn all those powers and spells easily.

Percy and Alistair were matched evenly in skill. Combined with Percy's inability to completely see Alistair as an enemy, and that was going to be a deciding factor in all of it. Percy just didn't know how deep Ali was.

* * *

Tonks awoke again when someone had taken off the body bind on her. The same person pressed a cloth against her head. She jerked away from the person because she could tell that he was one of the people who was holding her captive. The hand didn't pull back, but proceed cautiously with the cloth.

"I can't stay here for long," he whispered. It was the second voice. "He's not going to kill you, but you're going to wish he has after a while. I know I do."

Tonks' throat was dry, but she was able to say in a weak voice, "Who are you?"

"A fool," he replied. "I'm too weak to stop him. He's been doing this to me for months. I need you to get to Percy. You know him, don't you?" He didn't wait for her to answer as he hurried on, "He has to know that whatever happened it wasn't him who did it. It wasn't even me. He's got to stop him. He's mad." The voice was so different from earlier, but the fear was very real.

He pulled his hand back suddenly and got to his feet. From what she could see, he pocketed the cloth, which was a handkerchief. He hastily stepped back from her as the other man walked in. She raised her head slightly.

"What are you doing?" demanded the man. She could tell that he had a beard. He drew out his wand and raised it. "Ah. I see. It seems that you've been able to break free again."

The other man stepped back away from him. "Please just let her go. She can't possibly hurt us. Wipe her memory clean and let her go. Just don't do anything else to her. Like what you did to Percy. I've done everything else you asked."

"What did you do to Percy?" asked Tonks as she sat up. She realized that she was dressed just in her undershirt and jeans. Her feet were bare. She felt cold and she didn't even want to know who removed her other clothes. "What did you do to him?"

"I'll tell you what he did," started the younger man. "He had me set up a trap and he used me—"

"Enough of this," interrupted the older man as he pointed the wand straight at the other man's chest. "_Imperio_"

The facial expression on the younger man's face contorted into a cold, emotionless void. Tonks realized that was the reason why he was so different before. The older man turned his wand on her and she pulled away from it. She pressed her back against the cold wall.

"You keep asking about him." There was a distinct mockery in his tone. "For someone, you've never met before; you care a great deal about him. One might even believe that you are in love with him." There was disgust coupled with layers of mockery. "I'll give you some credit though. At least you have the sense to fall for a pureblood unlike your mother, even if he is a Muggle lover. Considering how he felt about that Mudblood witch, I'm sure that you would have made a lovely pair."

"It's amazing how much you resemble her," he said as his expression soften. "If only she was more loyal to me, but it seems that fate hasn't been all that cruel to me." He stooped down to her level and grabbed her chin. "You're young enough to be molded, but not so young that you wouldn't be enjoyable."

Tonks was practically plastered to the wall. Her body was weak from hunger and her throat was parched. He caught her chin. No more words came from his lips as he pressed them hard against hers. She kept her jaw clutched and her teeth together to keep him from invading her mouth any further. Her eyes were wide open in shock. She was too afraid to pull back and too repulse to allow it to continue.

He didn't give her time to decide as he pulled back as quickly as he had descended. She stared at him wide eyed. "My dear, I am the one who decides what happens here even to the smallest detail," he whispered. A chill ran down her spine as she tried to look away from him, but he wouldn't allow it. He gripped her chin tightly and let her go. She almost sank to the floor.

"Go out," he ordered the younger man who slowly moved out. "I need you to come back and tell me what I need to know."

"Yes," said the younger man as his voice returned to the way it was the first time Tonks had heard it.

As soon as he was gone, the older man turned his attention back to her. "I decide who lives and who dies," he told her coldly.

Tonks didn't say anything as she looked at him as it began to sink in that whatever he had planned for her was a fate worse than death.

* * *

AN: Tonks' mother's family isn't the nice pureblood family like the Weasleys. Bellatrix is pretty twisted, so I'd make the assumption that her husband would be as well. Arthur is having a meeting with the Minister at that same moment. The meeting with the foreign VIPs is to take place not too long after that. And since July 16th is coming soon, the rest of the story will be quickly. There will be double posts for the week. Once in the beginning and another again towards the end of the week.

kirikarin. livejournal. com

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. This story belongs to me and cannot be posted anywhere else without my permission.


	14. Innocence

Deconstruction

Chapter Fourteen: Innocence

When Oliver had woken up, he found himself in a cell at the Muggle police station. He felt groggy as he sat up look at the bars. He reached into his pocket instinctively, but found that his wand wasn't there. He slowly got to his feet.

"I see that your awake," said a guard, giving him a hard stare. "That's good. The inspector wants to talk to you."

"About the man in the trunk," whispered Oliver. "I don't know how he got in there, but I didn't kill him. Where's the person I was with? Where is she?"

"I wouldn't be talking right now if I were you," answered the guard. "I just hope that you can explain yourself."

Oliver's eyes widened as the guard unlocked his cell and handcuffed him. He knew that they were accusing him of murder. He let them take him to another room with a big window in it, a table and only two chairs. The guard directed him to one of the chairs.

Oliver sat on it. It was hard and cold. The minutes and seconds seem to pass slowly as the door opened again. This time the man wasn't clad in a uniform like the guard and the other police officers he had seen on the way in. The man took his seat in the chair across from Oliver.

"My name is Inspector Wright," said the man in a brisk, business like manner.

"You want to know if I was the one who killed the man in the trunk," said Oliver. "I'll tell you exactly what happened if you tell me what happened to my friend. There was two of us. Where is she?"

"We found you alone with the body," said the inspector. "Do you expect me to believe that there was more than one of you."

"Tell me where she is," demanded Oliver more forcefully. "Where are you holding her?"

"I can see this is going to take a while," said the Inspector. "Did you know Dr. McCoy?"

Oliver didn't answer. Instead, he was thinking about what had happened in the house. He replayed very bit of it in his mind as he tried to search for an answer. He remembered the other man coming in and using one of the Forbidden Curses on him. His body shuddered from the memory as he soon realized that if Tonks wasn't there with him, then she was somewhere else with the man who had attacked them. This man was most likely the one who had killed Dr. McCoy

"Are you all right?" asked Inspector Wright, noticing Oliver's trembling. His eyes studied him sharply. The paramedic who looked him over said that it looked like Oliver had had a seizure not too long ago. Inspector Wright thought he was on drugs at first because Oliver's body was jolting from time to time while he was unconscious. And right now, the last thing that Inspector Wright wanted was his suspect having a seizure in the middle of what was supposed to be an interrogation.

"He took her," whispered Oliver out loud. "I have to contact someone. Someone to help her."

"Who?" asked the Inspector. "What happened in that house?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

The inspector settled back in his chair as he prompted, "Why don't you just try to answer a few questions for me?"

"Like what?"

"Like how Dr. McCoy can be dead for several weeks and still be seen at the hospital that he worked at."

Oliver didn't want to explain that and kept his mouth shut. He retracted into himself as the inspector continued, "No one reported Dr. McCoy missing and we came into his house today and found you and his body. According to the medical examiner, the body has been there for a while. More than a day, yet Dr. McCoy was just seen at his place of employment yesterday. Can you explain that?"

"The person at the hospital wasn't Dr. McCoy," relented Oliver softly. "I don't know what else I can tell you."

"You can tell me how someone can just drop dead because the medical examiner can't explain it. There were no drugs in his system and there were no outward injuries," said Inspector Wright.

"Don't tell me that's the first time that's ever happened."

The inspector could tell that Oliver was sharp. And what he said was true: it wasn't the first time that someone was found dead for no real apparent cause in England. But this was the first time that a body had turned up like this in Inspector Wright's county. There were also reports of unexplained deaths, mostly in England.

"You're not going anywhere until you have a logically explanation for why you were in Dr. McCoy's residence," warned Inspector Wright.

Oliver settled himself comfortably in his chair. He folded his arms over his chest defiantly and said, "Then you're in for a long wait if you want something logical from your stand point, Inspector."

* * *

Kingsley had his hands full trying to get everything organized in the sector that he had been assigned to. He gave orders to the Aurors under him and went about doing his work. The Ministry was going to be put under the strictest security that it had ever undergone since the resurgence of Voldemort. With the Death Eaters about, Kingsley was surprised that the Minister was able to convince so many foreign dignitaries to come.

He spotted Arthur coming out of his meeting with the Minister. Kingsley went up to him and they exchanged greetings. "So, how did it go?"

"All right," answered Arthur. "Did you tell the Minister about Percy?"

Kingsley shook his head, but didn't betray his surprise. "What did he have to say about him?"

"Nothing that interesting," replied Arthur as he looked around. "It looks like all of the Aurors are out in full force."

"Almost," said Kingsley. "Tonks isn't here."

"I heard."

"If I could find her so easily, I would order her back here for this. We need every person we can get. I really wish that I could have stuck to looking for Percy for you. I can only imagine how hard it is for you."

Arthur stopped in his tracks and looked around to make sure no one could hear them. "I don't know how long the Minister has known."

"I mean you didn't say anything about keeping it discreet here, Arthur," pointed out Kingsley. "You told me not to tell Molly about it."

"The Minister said that he gets his information from a source within the Ministry itself. It's a unit that's been active since the creation of the Ministry," Arthur told him. "He suspects that Percy was one of them."

Kingsley looked perplexed. "I don't see how that means anything to his disappearance. I mean sure I've heard the rumors myself. The Players of the Game. It's only a Ministry myth. There's no such thing."

"How do you know that for sure?" asked Arthur. "Every thing we've learned about Percy is wrapped up in something else. What about Penelope Clearwater's murder?"

"I started to look into this, but then this happened," answered Kingsley. "I know that you think that Percy should have reported it since he was the one who identified the body, but he had his own reasons. The murder happened in the Muggle world. He didn't want the Clearwaters dragged into an investigation that they couldn't even understand."

Arthur had his doubts and they were plain on his face. He shook his head. "Those pictures. Remus said that one of those people was LeStrange. If he's out there, then why isn't he with Voldemort like the others? No one else can verify where he's gone."

"That's different unit all together, but like me they're all here attending to this, Arthur. I'm really sorry, but this is a matter of timing. But to be frank, it took months and Tonks to a certain extent is right. The trail was cold before she started. That's the reality of it, Arthur."

Arthur stepped back and nodded this time. "I understand, but I refuse to believe that my son is dead."

Kingsley said in a hushed voice, "I would prepare myself if I were you, Arthur."

Arthur tuned and walked away without saying a word. Kingsley could only stare at his retreating back before he turned his attention back to his work.

* * *

"Everything is going as I have planned. As it always has. As it always should be," he told his younger counterpart in a cold voice. "I will not have another lapse from you. I will not be betrayed by you. I expected it from her, but not from you. You are my flesh and blood, boy. Remember that."

"We must make sure everything is in place for the next movement though," he went on without looking at his son. "I'm sure that you're prepared for it. Weasley isn't to be trifled with. He is already out and about. Most likely, he knows about the meeting, but he doesn't know what I will be planning for it. I doubt that there is a chance that he will figure it out in time."

The look on the young man's face was impassive. Underneath that veneer, he was trapped. His body was merely a shell, a tool that was used at the discretion of another. He had no control over what was happening. Having no control was no excuse for all of the things he had done. Weaker people were able to fight the curse that he was under. Even if he managed to somehow break it, there wasn't anyway he was going to live with himself.

He was a fool. How could he save the young woman they had captive, if he couldn't save himself? He thought of Percy and what he had let happened to him. Sure, he had no control over his body at the time, but Percy had trusted him. Percy was the closest thing he had to a brother.

Penelope. Penny. That's what he and Percy called her. She was perhaps the most innocent of them. Sometimes he closed his eyes and he could still see look on her face as she fell back from him. He remembered looking over the broken window as she hit the ground and how beautiful she was. How much he both loved and regretted her.

The blood in his veins was cursed. His whole family on both sides had a lot to answer to for their bigotry and their crimes against all of humanity. He had done everything in his power to go against what his family stood for and was ashamed of them. How he wished that he was dead. He didn't deserve to exist.

"I've done everything I can to stop him," murmured the older man. "His will is stronger than I imagined. I thought he would have gone mad now. Never mind. We can still proceed as planned." With that he exited the room, leaving his young counterpart staring off into oblivion.

* * *

Percy wasn't anywhere near where he had to be. He had to be in London, but he didn't want to risk Apparating without a wand because he had never attempted to do so. It would be unwise for him to do it. His wand was long misplaced on that rainy morning when Fudge was arrested. Lucky for him, Gwen had given him some money, which in the past he would have had too much pride to except.

He had to get some sleep if he was going to he strong enough to fight back. Percy didn't want to sleep. That was the place where his nightmares would come to get the better of him. Little did he know that was where he needed to go.

Dreams and nightmares were things that weren't easily explained by both wizard and Muggle alike. They were things that the mind must have in order to survive, even though there wasn't much of an explanation for it. In dreams, one can have memories of the past, insight to the present, and a glimpse of the future. Nightmares had the power to kill people in their sleep and were difficult to escape even in waking moments.

The memories Percy had locked away in his mind were potent and powerful enough to drive him mad. He had to allow the dreams to come to him. If not for his own redemption, for the sake of others.

_He opened his eyes and found himself in the middle of destruction. The ground around him was razed to the foundation. It was so cold that he could see his breath. There was nothing left. It was deserted. He was quickly proven wrong._

_"Ali," whispered Percy when he turned around. "Who did this?"_

_"We did," replied Alistair. "We did because we couldn't stop him."_

_Percy took a deep breath. "We have to stop him. After all that he's done to you. To the three of us."_

_"I was the one who killed Penny," Alistair reminded him. "It was me. You saw it yourself. You remember that day. The day that you followed me after work because I hadn't checked in. He found me because we are linked by blood."_

_Percy's eyes widened as he whispered softly, "I remember. I remember seeing you like this and being stunned from behind. I woke up and I saw a Dementor coming at me, weakening me. That's when all the things I've learned left me."_

_"You don't know what else happened from that point on," Alistair told him. "But I do. I know what happened."_

_"Why aren't you moving?" asked Percy as he forced his eyes to focus. "Your lips aren't moving, Ali. You're just blinking and I can hear you speak. Can you step forward?"_

_"I can't," admitted Ali. "I can't move or act. When the time comes, I need you to release me. You're the only one who can save me. I'm trapped." _

_Percy stepped forward and breathed deeply. He realized what he was standing on. The ground underneath his feet was the same marbling that he had walked over for more than a year of his life. It was the Ministry of Magic. "Oh, God. It's not over is it?"_

_Alistair replied, "What you did only drove him deeper underground and made him more determined, he'll do whatever it takes to stop you. Be prepared for that. No matter what he does or who's in your way, you stop him. Keep this from happening."_

Percy woke up with a gasp. He had been asleep for only three hours. He blinked and shook his head. The meeting was going to take place in a day. In a little over twenty-four hours. Percy racked his brain again and tried to calm himself at the same time. He was at the place where he was first attacked. He only went back there because he knew that they wouldn't think he'd go back there.

He got to his feet and started walking around barefoot. He felt the coldness from the floor come up from his feet all the way to his head. He had taken off the nice shirt that Gwen had bought for him and was only clad in slacks and an undershirt. He didn't realize how thin he had gotten until he got new clothes. His skin was so pale. He stared into a bathroom mirror.

The mirror didn't break the way that most people would have assumed. The Muggle doctors didn't exactly say what he used to slash his wrist in their reports, but they did take out small slivers of glass from the wounds. He couldn't bear to look at himself any longer as he looked at the mirror currently in front of him. Yet he couldn't look away.

He closed his eyes and started to breath heavily.

_CRACK!_

He opened his eyes and saw a large crack running down his reflection. He reached out his fingers and the whole mirror came down before he could even touch it. Crouching down, Percy gazed at his reflection in one of the larger shards. He reached out to touch it, too, but pulled it back.

This was not the time for self-pity. There was work to do. If he didn't, Penny's death would have meant nothing. He had to stop Ali in order to save him. In order to save himself. With that, he left the bathroom and got dress. He exited out of his hiding place and ventured out into the light.

* * *

The actual beginning of ceremonies started the night before the first day of talks. Arthur was in the thick of all of it, working the background as an unofficial member of Minister Diggory's cabinet. Arthur hadn't even bothered to discuss the possibility of a promotion with Molly. She simply wasn't in a state to discuss such things.

Molly wasn't sleeping at all, waiting up for news about Percy most of the time. She was also knitting, cooking, and cleaning to keep herself distracted. Her other sons were busy looking for any information on their wayward brother. Molly had gone as far as to tell Ron and Ginny about the situation. Both of them had written back, Ron showed almost the same callous concern that Fred had exhibited earlier, yet Ginny was genuinely worried.

Arthur soon realized that he was using his work in the Ministry as a way of distracting himself. The news came to him from Charlie who had braved going down to the Muggle hospital to find out what had really happened to Percy. The Muggles kept their records confidential, even from family members. None of the information could be released without Percy's written permission. However, after asking some of the lower staff members and the use of his charm, Charlie soon discovered that Percy was in the hospital because of a suicide attempt.

Charlie had gone straight to Arthur after he got the information, and Arthur sent him on to tell Molly. The suicide attempt was the last thing that Molly really needed to hear, and she had taken to bed in a fit of tears and none of her sons could comfort her. She didn't even ask to see Arthur because it seemed more and more obvious to her that Percy was laying dead in a ditch somewhere.

"So, he slashed his wrist," said Bill softly. "It's hard to think that he would kill himself. He doesn't seem like he would ever do that."

Charlie pointed out, "And we didn't think he'd be the one to walk on the family like he did. Now, did we?"

The twins were currently in the shop doing inventory, leaving the two elder brothers alone to talk. It was as quiet as tomb as if they were already in mourning and the sound of the clock ticking away in one of the nearby dens made more sound than either of them. "We should go back to the Burrow and look at the clock," whispered Charlie. "Look and see if he's really gone."

"Don't talk like that," said Bill harshly. "Don't even think like that. He's not dead. He can't be. He's younger than us."

Charlie looked startled for a moment at Bill's reaction, but he softened again and said, "There's a war going on right now, Bill. There's a chance that not all of us on both sides will make it. Percy's been in the thick of it before any of us. He was probably more ready for the possibility than any of us."

"I'm the oldest, Charlie," said Bill as he looked away from him. "It's my duty to protect everyone else under me. I feel like I failed him."

"I think we all feel like that, Bill," said Charlie. "Mum and Dad do. Especially Dad. We can't stand around here and think of what might be. We can't just say we could have done that or should have said this. There's nothing we can do right now, but wait and pray. If there is one thing we didn't have for Percy that he should have had was our faith. We have to have faith in him now. Because that's really all we can do." With that the two brothers fell silent.

* * *

AN: For all of you who were wondering where Oliver went, so sorry about the long wait on that. Don't worry too much about him. He's safer there than almost anywhere else. Well, safer than anything Percy's about to walk into.

kirikarin. livejournal. com

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. This story belongs to me and cannot be posted anywhere else without my permission.


	15. Revealed

Deconstruction

Chapter Fifteen: Revealed

Many Ministry employees were dressed in their best finery as they prepared for what would be one of the most important nights in Ministry history. Among the attendees was Arthur, he was supposed to be one of the people meeting with the important foreign leaders. With so much going on, security was high as Kingsley along with other Aurors worked around the clock to ensure the safety of everyone involved.

They were prepared for Death Eaters, but not for something else entirely. Something was coming that they had no idea would strike. The target was none of the foreign leaders at all. Kingsley hadn't seen any of the drawings that were recovered from Oliver's flat, so there was no way he would have noticed anyone. Arthur was in another place entire.

The press was there in full force with different newspapers and magazines from all over the world. They were carefully screened and kept at bay. One reporter managed to slip by quite easily. All he needed was a press pass and he was allowed inside. After all, there were several reporters from the _Daily Prophet._

Everything was going as planned from one end at least.

* * *

Tonks awoke again at another place. She was getting pretty tired of waking up in strange places. She had no idea where she was, yet it seemed strangely familiar. They were underground again. The man who had first abducted her was nearby. She thought of the person who tried to save her.

"You did something to Percy, didn't you? Just like what you did to him," she whispered. Had she been braver she would have said it more loudly. The person turned and looked at her. "Why did you take me here? Why didn't you leave me at that other place? What do you need me for?"

"Leverage," replied the man plainly. "You don't know who am I, do you?" When she didn't indicate any sort of response other than just staring at him, he answered for her, "You wouldn't know me because of your mother. She was the one who abandoned her heritage and left her family to marry your father."

"What you believe in is wrong," said Tonks in a soft voice. She gave a soft laugh of mockery. "You are so eager to tell me what you've done. To tell me how clever you've been because there's no one else to tell it to is there? The other person you could tell it to is nothing more, but a puppet. He's just shell that does as you tell him."

"You're the clever one indeed," he said caressing her cheek. "You're so much like her that I hate you. Yet you are different enough for me to love you."

That last part frightened Tonks more than anything else he had said. There was a sinister edge to his sadness that she didn't wish to explore. She didn't want him touching her either, but with partial spell to bind her arms and legs, she had little choice. "My sweet Bella," he murmured.

Tonks' eyes widened as she tried to pull her head back. She wasn't Bella. She couldn't be Bella. She knew who she was, then this person must be—

"Why aren't you with the other Death Eaters?" she asked. She had been too focused on his face to look at his hand. His left hand was caressing her cheek, and she saw the top of a Dark Mark. "You're Lestrange," she managed to whisper. "Why are you doing this? Did Voldemort send you?"

Lestrange laughed at this. It was a long, throaty laugh. He withdrew his hand and said, "No, my dear. You are making the assumption that I would stay loyal to the Dark Lord after he left me to rot in Azkaban. After he coveted my wife. You are awfully brave to actually say his name, too. Very brave and perhaps foolish. No, my goals are loftier than his. His are more baseless, plainer."

"He wants to rid the world of Muggles and anyone who carries Muggle blood as well as their supporters," whispered Tonks. "What is it you want more than that? He already wants to rule the world. What do you want?"

"I want to be a god," he whispered. "I learned while I was in Azkaban. The thought of what I would do when I got out was what kept me sane. I decided to go beyond the flesh and beyond the hate. The world will be cleansed by Voldemort, but even with his new body he will not live long enough to enjoy it."

"And you think you can become a god?"

"What got me into Azkaban was following the whims of my wife," he admitted. "I have learned not to follow anyone. I found that if I want power, I must control all aspects. When I escaped from Azkaban, I did not follow my wife back to Voldemort despite his summons. When I served him, I was his chief torturer. It was my duty to extract information by whatever means necessary."

Tonks' brain had warmed up enough to recall the case that would eventually lead to his arrest and imprisonment. "The Longbottoms. You picked the wrong people to mess with," she whispered.

"I do not care what the prophecies say about Harry Potter and Voldemort. Those things are now beyond my concern. What I have learned in Azkaban is that the best way to control people is over time. My methods before were too crude. They were good enough to subdue, but if one goes too far, the mind will break before you can bend it."

Tonks shuddered at what Kingsley had told her about Frank and Alice Longbottoms how they had been tortured to the point where their minds were gone. They were little more but ghostly shells that were alive, but not quite. She felt the bile rise in her throat as she looked away, breathing heavily.

"I had to see if my new view on the world would work," continued Lestrange. "That was when I decided to find my son. Using ancient magics, I was able to find him because of our link by blood. To my utter surprise, he was working for the Ministry undercover in a newspaper. Another part of the Ministry was opened to me. There is a group of wizards and witches who monitor what goes on the Ministry to safeguard it against itself. They are the fact behind rumors. They cover up what the rest of the world shouldn't know."

"Unfortunately, he wasn't alone. He was part of a small group." Lestrange shook his head. "Even though I had taken great strides to make sure that he would grow in an environment that made him more willing to accept my ideals, he was influenced by the two of them. I had to take control of him, make him understand that we are the elite that the world is meant for us."

"Your own son?" whispered Tonks. "You're not a father. You're just a monster." She remembered the look of helplessness in the younger man's eyes when the spell had been lifted briefly. "Who are you to decide who lives or who dies? What gives you the right?" Her voice had gotten louder, more forceful with each word as she glared at him.

He laughed again as he traced his finger along her forearm. "You sound just like he did when we first met. Did you know he tried to subdue me and bring me back to the Ministry to face my crimes again? I couldn't let him do that. I had to take control of him then. I also had to make sure that I still had some control over him even without the spell. I used his own conscience as a weapon against him."

"Under my control, I sent him to kill his friend, but she had escaped the first attempt. She thought that she could seek refuge in the Muggle world. What a fool she was. I expected that from a Mudblood witch."

Penelope Clearwater. Tonks' eyes widened as she realized who he was talking about. "Alistair Xavier. He's your son. You made him into a killing machine. What did you do to Percy Weasley?"

"You keep asking that question," whispered Lestrange. "You must really have strong feelings for him, don't you?" She wanted to pull her arm away, but she couldn't. "I knew that he would come after Alistair. I knew from the start that he wouldn't stop. He's too much like his father. A fool. An embarrassment to everything that we purebloods represent."

You see I also did some experiments on the mind. It is a fascinating thing, the mind. It can be so complex, yet so fragile at the same time. I was able to extract the memories that Alistair had of killing their mutual friend. After Alistair lured Weasley into a trap, it was hard to break him at first. His will was so much stronger than anyone in his group. It took nearly a Dementor's Kiss to render him malleable enough. I took the memories that Alistair, and had placed them into Weasley's mind. After that, I used the Imperius Curse and a memory charm."

Tonks' brain was already full of fear and confusion as well as disgust. She couldn't help, but ask, "Why would you use a memory charm if the point was that you wanted Percy to have Alistair's memories of killing Penelope Clearwater?"

"There's the real genius in that," said Lestrange as he seemed to glow a little bit. "I gave Weasley an incomplete memory charm. One that would wear off over time. I made sure the memories that I had given him were in first person. From the eyes of the killer. The Imperius Charm was simply used to send him back to his home so that he would awaken there. You see the ultimate battleground is all in his head."

Tonks knew the conclusion and wouldn't give Lestrange the satisfaction of telling her, so she continued for him, "As the memory charm faded, the memories would slowly pour in. And since he didn't report the murder to the Ministry, he would start to think that he was the one who did it. He couldn't reach Alistair in time. But, why? Why would you do something so drastic to anyone? He probably thought he was going mad. He tried to destroy himself in the process."

"My first plan was working out wonderfully after I had him. I was able to extract information from Weasley about the former Minister. But that group within the Ministry decided to allow Fudge to continue because the agents were still working behind the scenes and keeping everything in order. They knew that shifting the leadership during that delicate time wasn't a good idea. They knew that keeping everything stable would keep the populace stable. I was going to use that to my advantage. My plan was to rule the Ministry through Fudge." Lestrange sighed. It was one of disappointment. "Oh well, not everything goes as planned I'm afraid."

"Percy went to go see that psychiatrist after he tried to kill himself. She was able to help him unlock what you have done to him. He knew that the only way to stop you would be to expose Fudge for what he was and force the changes in the Ministry to happen." Tonks couldn't believe that so many smaller actions could affect things on such a grand scale.

"I will have my revenge for his meddling," said Lestrange angrily. "Weasley will wish that I had killed him in the first place. I managed to find him by sending Alistair after him. I tried to keep up what I had started. His will had to be broken. And if I couldn't do that. Well, at least I could destroy his reputation."

"He probably already wishes you had killed him," said Tonks sadly. "But you're wrong. You're a sick bastard. It isn't enough that you kill him. You wanted to destroy him by destroy his mind. You think by him being mentally ill that you're any better. Azkaban already made you go mad. You're just too deep to realize it."

Lestrange raised his hand as if to strike her. Tonks could take that, but what he did was even worse than that. He grabbed her by the jaw and forced her to face him. He pressed his lips against hers. She was so unprepared for it that she didn't have time to clench her jaw as she had done before. His tongue had slipped into her mouth, almost gagging her. She wanted to scream. His teeth bit her bottom lip, drawing blood. She could feel his other hand on another part of her body. After what felt like more than an eternity, he pulled away from her and left her. She tasted the bitterness of her own blood as he licked his teeth.

She closed her eyes. Tonks was forced to wonder what he meant by using her as leverage as she began to recognize her surroundings.

* * *

He walked right into the Ministry as he had done many times before through another entrance. He didn't take the guest entrance because he knew that security would be heavy there. There were a few exceptions. He wasn't wearing his glasses nor was he visible to anyone. One didn't need an invisibility cloak to go about unnoticed. He was able to do a lot without a wand, which was a testimony to his will. As he slipped past so many people, he kept his eyes open for an opening.

The opening ceremonies were just beginning and he knew that he would be somewhere in the crowd, blending in. The Minister stood up to make his announcement. "I would like to welcome each and everyone of you to the Ministry of Magic of Great Britain. So many of you have come in good faith. I know that recent events within this Ministry have been brought to light and I know that my predecessor was unwilling to talk to all of you about the threat that looms above us."

He listened to each of those words. Lofty ones, but they didn't mean a thing at the moment unless he could do something about it. He had spent the day listening and keeping out of sight. As soon as he was able to summarize the schedule of events over the next few days. The following day was a meeting that was to take place in front of other Ministry members in the courtroom that he had once been in as a court scribe.

The air seemed colder than before. He moved through the shadows swiftly. After the courtroom had been swept, the Aurors moved on to actually guarding the guests and other attendants. It was time to set up the barrier to keep anyone from entering until he was done. He was sure that someone would come along later on with the ability to clear the barrier.

He was wearing an employee cloak and put up the hood. It wasn't just any employee cloak. He had worn a different one before, but the one he was currently wearing was the proper one, the one that he should have been wearing all along, for the first time. It was the uniform of an Auror. He walked about virtually unnoticed by the other Aurors without saying a word. Under the hood, his face was hidden and shaded.

He didn't come unprepared. He had stopped along the way and made contact with one of the suppliers to his group at Knockturn Alley. No one would have suspected that their lot would go down there for supplies. He didn't bother to get a wand of any sort because he didn't want to be seen in any reputable part of Diagon Alley. He had to think back to his training and keep his mind in order and focused.

He couldn't deny that he was trained well. He had been taught to look at things from a strategic point of view, very much like a chessboard. He had spent only a year's worth training for it, but he was smart enough as was Penelope who had trained him. She was even more of a background person than he was. She would hang back and report for the group.

Carefully, he placed the talismans in place. He waited again until he could sense him. The door to the courtroom opened and closed by some invisible hand. Percy took the last talisman and blocked the last path out; trapping himself along with whomever was within the barrier. Without so much as taking a deep breath, he walked to the courtroom door and opened it. He closed it behind him.

He watched as Alistair went about the room and as he pulled down his hood, Alistair pivoted around. If he was surprised, he didn't show it. "I was wondering when you'd decide to show yourself, Weasley."

"Your visit to my cell was enough of an invitation," countered Percy.

Alistair had his hands behind his back, without a doubt his wand was tucked into his sleeve. "It's been so long since we've seen each other face to face like this."

Percy's footsteps seemed to echo as he stepped forward. "You killed Penny," he said in a harsh, angry whisper. "Why?"

"What does it matter, Weasley? I see you've come here without a wand. You're confident that you've got enough ability to work without a wand?" asked Alistair. "You're more of an idiot than I gave you credit for."

"I don't need a wand to stop you."

"Let's see about that. You always thought you were so much better than either me or Penelope. You're so much superior just because your line is a good line. You think you're indestructible. Let's just see about that."

With a flick of his wrist, Alistair's wand appeared trained on Percy's chest. A blast of energy came from it. It was a standard Auror spell. Percy was able to physically dodge it. There wasn't much he could do, but he could feel the magic in the air thicken again. He was told that he could use the magic that surrounded the area. There simply wasn't enough power to do any large spells yet, but there was just enough to do some defensive magic.

Alistair threw another blast at him. "_Impedimenta!_" roared Percy, blocking the spell.

"You won't be able to keep it up for long. All you can do is block without a wand! You won't be able to focus a counterattack!" shouted Alistair.

That was true. There were those who were born with the ability to do a focused attack with or without willing it exactly, which was what happened to the Boy Who Lived during his third year. However, for someone like Percy it took a while and sheer strength of will combined with enough residual magic in the air. However, Alistair knew that as well and wasn't using enough power in his spells to give Percy that chance.

Percy almost regretted not having his wand, but he had a plan. He had to make sure that he could actually use it. The only way to do that was to make sure that Alistair put enough magic in the air. "You're probably right about that," retorted Percy. "But, you're forgetting one thing. We're in the Ministry. We're on my ground!" He touched his fingers to the ground and sent tremors that knocked Alistair off his feet.

* * *

The tremors were also felt in other parts of the Ministry. The Aurors felt it first and looked at each other. "It's coming from the courtrooms!" shouted Kingsley. "Teams Alpha and Beta go to the main gathering and fortify that area. Team Gamma, you're with me. The rest of your stand your ground."

They ran as fast as they could and were about ready to enter the area, but as soon as they hit the barrier, they were thrown off their feet. Kingsley recovered quickly and went to the barrier. He touched his wand against it and felt a jolt. The other Aurors stood up and groaned. "What is this?" he asked out loud. "Someone's put up a barrier."

"What's going on in there?" said another one of the Aurors. "This wasn't part of the security plan."

The sound of a powerful blast and wood being smashed seemed to echo. "What do you we do about this breech, Kingsley?"

Kingsley tapped his wand against the barrier again and felt that jolt. He gave a ragged sigh. "They won't be able to hear anything. Make sure that that no one else comes down this part of the Ministry. Get someone in here who can take down this barrier."

"Who?"

"Arthur Weasley. He might be able to break this down. Be discreet." That Auror ran off as soon as he got the order. Kingsley had a sinking feeling that seemed to overwhelm him at the moment. He wasn't the only one.

* * *

Percy knew the significance of the room they were in. It was kind of ironic that it was the largest courtroom out of all of the others. It wasn't a wonder that it was the room that Lestrange was going to use the room to carry out his plan. It was the same courtroom that Lestrange along with his wife and others were sentence to Azkaban.

"You're nothing more but your father's puppet!" shouted Percy. "This is the same place where your parents were revealed to the world, Ali! You can't let him manipulate you like that. For God's sake, fight back! I know you're in there somewhere."

The blasts were destroying the gallery area as he used that section to duck and dodge in. He thought back to his dream and remembered what Ali had told him. That was Ali's hidden ability that only a few people knew about. If Ali appeared in the dream without being able to move his lips that could only mean that he wasn't in control of his own body.

"You don't know anything! My father loves me!" roared Alistair. "You're lying to me! He would never do that to me!"

Percy swallowed. He pressed his body against one of the pillars. "You know I'm not lying, Ali. I'm your friend. I wouldn't lie to you," he said as calmly as he could manage. "I know you know the truth."

There was a long pause. Percy almost stopped breathing for that moment. Was he getting through? It was too easy. He had to take that chance no matter what. There was a chance that he could save Alistair. There wasn't anything he could for Penelope, but she would have wanted him to try to save Ali. So, he emerged from his hiding place, holding his hands up.

Alistair was worse for wear as he paced back and forth, shaking his head. He pivoted when he saw Percy coming at him. "I know that you don't want to hurt me or anyone. We've both worked too hard in the Game to stop now. If you really wanted to kill me, you would have done so already. You can't do it because it's not in you. Just give me your wand."

"_Crucio_" screamed Alistair.

An overwhelming sensation of pain filled Percy as he fell back. He couldn't think of anything else to block it as his body felt like it was going to be ripped apart. He couldn't even hear himself screaming in agony. There were tears pouring from his eyes.

The spell stopped, leaving Percy in a much weaken state than he was before. He knew that Alistair was hovering near him. Before he could focus his senses again, there came a spell that he couldn't hear. It started to slice through his body, cutting him from the inside and drawing blood to the surface. The cuts weren't deep, but enough to cause a great amount of pain.

Percy opened his eyes and saw that Alistair was just standing over him. They stared straight into each other's eyes. Percy could see his reflection in Alistair's which were vacant except for a small glimmer that remained. That was where the real Alistair. Percy kept his eyes open and kept them on Alistair's. Sometimes a wizard could predict the next move better that way in a duel rather than keeping an eye on the wand.

He knew what was going to happen next. He didn't even think about it. He just closed his eyes at that moment. He said in a soft voice, "I forgive you." That was all that he could manage.

"_Avada__ Kedavra!_"

* * *

AN: Lestrange isn't going to win Father of The Year by no means. He hasn't got a chance at Uncle of the Year either. He's just evil and downright creepy. All that touching. Ew. Hell, I was disgusted and I wrote it. I took breaks in between parts of it. This might not end the way that anyone expects.

kirikarin. livejournal. com

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. This story belongs to me and cannot be posted anywhere else without my permission.


	16. Sanctuary

Deconstruction

Chapter Sixteen: Sanctuary

"_Avada__ Kedavra!_"

The flash of green managed to seep through Percy's closed eyes. He opened his eyes again because he didn't feel dead. He lifted himself up a bit when he saw the look on Alistair's face. It was of horror as his wand slipped out of his hand. His eyes were opened as he gasped. "Oh my God. What have I done?" he whispered as he stared at Percy. Not quite knowing if Percy was dead or alive despite the fact that he was looking straight at him.

Percy didn't get off the ground for a moment. A miracle had just happened. He was taking some deep calming breaths, grateful that he was still alive. And even more grateful that Alistair wasn't able to do it. The guilt would have probably done more damage to him. Percy sat up as he said, "It's okay. I'm okay, Ali." He was sore and bleeding from the cuts and bruises. "You broke the Imperius Curse when you tried to use the Killing Curse because you didn't mean it. You could only kill Penny because he was there and he directed you to do it. He had to be there."

Alistair shook his head. "I killed her. I was weak. It was me," he sobbed. "I don't even know what he's really planning on doing by sending me here. I don't know, Perce." He buried his face in his hands. However, he quickly sobered as he went on, "I can't remember most of what's happened. All I can remember is Penny, but there's someone else. She's in danger. I don't know who she is, but she's in danger. And he's got her. I couldn't help her. I tried to get her out, but he put the spell back on before I could do anything."

Percy's eyes widened in alarm. "Then, we've got to do something about that, Ali."

"I don't know if we can. He's a lot more powerful than either of us," whispered Alistair desperately.

A look came over Percy's features that scared Alistair. He didn't have to say anything in order to be understood. However, Percy could see behind Alistair and he opened his mouth to say something just as the two people entered the room. "ALI!" shouted Percy. "BEHIND YOU!" Alistair turned around and Percy dove for his wand and tried to thrust it into his hand. It happened so fast. Too fast.

"**_Avada_****_ Kedavra!_**"

Alistair had his arms stretched out and used his body to block the spell from hitting Percy. He was dead before he hit the floor. Once again, Percy caught him in his arms. "Ali," whispered Percy as he looked up at the person who had entered the room. The person who had caused all of the grief and nightmares. "Lestrange."

"I knew he'd weaken in the end," stated Lestrange. "He was born weak to begin with. Always crying for his mother. So, I take it you know who I am, Weasley."

Percy didn't answer how he knew. He had seen that face in his nightmares all the time. Percy knew that Alistair was a Lestrange. He never hid it from his closest friends. "He's your son," managed Percy in a gasp. He didn't even acknowledge the young woman who had arrived with Lestrange.

"He was my son," corrected Lestrange. "Such promise. Such a shame." He stepped forward; his footsteps seemed to echo throughout the room. "But you're different. You've got more power than either of them. I can see the ambition and the latent ruthlessness about you just as plainly as I see your face. You have what it takes to go after what you want."

Percy gripped Alistair's body, fearing that if he released it, Alistair was really be dead. "He was your son," breathed Percy as a surge of rage filled him. "How could you murder your own son?"

Lestrange replied with a callous manner and with some annoyance because he had already given his answer before, "He was weak. In order for an empire to thrive, one has to eliminate weakness in a line. I cannot give my empire to someone who was weak. However, I can see strength in you. Your will is the strongest I have ever seen. Otherwise, I would have already attempted one of the methods I have used previously to gain your compliance."

"If you know how strong my will is, then what the Hell makes you think that I would go along with you," demanded Percy through his teeth as he pulled his hands away from Alistair.

Lestrange smiled. It appeared very benign, but there was something evil behind it. "You and I aren't any different from each other, Weasley. We both are of pure lineage. You're different from the rest of your family as am I. We are even related by blood as well. Our family trees overlap each other at certain points. My agenda is not the same as the Dark Lord's. His plan is of madness. He wants to cleanse the world, while mine is simply to realign it."

"There's no difference!" roared Percy angrily as he got to his feet. "There's no difference. You want to destroy everything and subjugate everyone like you did with Alistair and her." He gestured to the young woman who bore a resemblance to Alistair. "I know what you were planning. It's pretty easy to figure it out. You were going to infiltrate the Ministry. Now that key members were exposed as Death Eaters, you were going to fill that void of power. You were going to take their minds!"

Lestrange started to clap his hands and laugh. "That is precisely what was planning on doing. Alistair would have never figured it out, neither could Clearwater. She only figured out Alistair's odd behavior. I didn't want to waste any of my energies on a Mudblood witch who's only real ability was healing. I know that each of you exhibit certain talents. Alistair's ability to astral project proved to be difficult to control under the Imperius Curse. Even though he managed to do it under those conditions that part of him I couldn't control came to you in the hospital. He was trying to give you a warning."

"He did in a way," admitted Percy. "But it was Dr. White's help that got me out of the hospital. What a mess it must have been for you to clear up."

"You were able to insure Dr. White's safety, but she's nothing. She's just a mere Muggle. There would have been no way for her to gain access to any resource in our world. No one would believe her in hers."

Percy gave a slight smirk. "I was counting on that." He had to keep Lestrange talking. There had to be some weakness he could probe but then he was able to feel enough of the magical energy in the room. The Killing Curse was a powerful one that discharged large amounts of excess magic in the room. He had to keep him talking and come up with a strategy. He had to get himself and the other person out of the room safely that was why he didn't look at her. He kept himself focused on Lestrange. "You assumed Dr. McCoy's identity almost as soon as I had arrived at the hospital. You probably sent Alistair out to go and look for me. Very few people would know that I knew how to operate in the Muggle world and that I would chose it as a sanctuary to recharge and come back whole."

"Yes," agreed Lestrange. "It is strange how we can find solace in places we least expect to find any in. I found mine in Azkaban. I was able to fight the Dementors by befriending them and allowing them to purify me. You see the more you resist, the more they take."

"I think that your time in Azkaban didn't really do you all that much good," argued Percy, taking a different affliction all together. "I don't think it made you stronger. It drove you mad. Insane. You know that I know about this sort of thing. After all, it was you who drove me there in the first place. Now, you seek to take over the world by being the puppet master behind all of the world powers who are gathering here. But you knew that I was coming, so you expected it. You wanted me to come. I'm between you and what you want. And you won't be able to rest until I'm either with you where you can control me or when I'm dead."

"You have a lot to lose, Weasley," reminded Lestrange. "If you are your father's son, you'll think of them before yourself."

"I am my parents' son," admitted Percy in a whisper. "That means that I can't be anyone else's."

That was Percy's answer to Lestrange's offer. "I am expecting to see something great from you, Weasley. I hope that I'm not going to be disappointed."

"You won't be," whispered Percy harshly. His arms were at his sides, his hand were rolled into fists and the look on his face was impassive. His eyes were ablaze with anger. He summoned everything in him to pull the magic in the air.

_Crack!_

_Crack!_

_Crack!_

It was the sound of the remaining part of the gallery breaking and the podium as well. The chairs also started to tap and shake as the whole room seemed to glow at the moment. Percy continued to walk forward as the walls began to rip apart.

_Crush!_

Something slammed down hard on the marble floor. The windows shattered as the walls gave way. It was a good thing that Percy had taken the time to put in the talismans. When the dust settled, the wreckage was more than anyone would have imagined.

"_ACCIO!" _shouted Percy with a flick of his wrist towards where Alistair's body was. Alistair's wand came flying to Percy's opened right hand. "This ends now!" He roared.

"Very impressive," complimented Lestrange. "I would have never suspected such power lay under such a veneer. But, you are forgetting one thing." He used his wand to pull unknown woman to him. It was then that Percy realized that she was in a body bind curse. Lestrange held his wand to her temple. "This is what makes you weak, Weasley. You think you can save everyone, but you can't!"

Percy stopped in mid-step, gripping the wand tightly with his hand. He felt physically tired from the torture and now from what he had just done. He couldn't stop. There was no way he could stop now. "I know you're going to save her. Even if you don't know who she is. Even if you don't know if she's good or evil!" shouted Lestrange.

It was the look of fear in the young woman's face that told Percy that she wasn't a threat to him. People spoke through their eyes and Percy knew how to read them. Not as well as Penny, but he had learned how from her. He communicated to the woman with his eyes.

"If your mission is to save people, Weasley," went on Lestrange," then you have already failed. You couldn't even save the other members of your cell. You won't be able to save her."

"What if I don't want to save her? What if I just want to stop you? That's been my objective all along. To stop you."

"Try it, then," challenged Lestrange.

* * *

Arthur's heart nearly stopped when he heard the ear piercing scream earlier. He immediately recognized it. It was Percy. When the screaming had stopped, Arthur was sure that his son was dead. He didn't even have time to say anything as Kingsley urged him to see if he could break down the barrier.

Suddenly, the walls were shaking as well as the ground. It seemed like something was being ripped from the foundation. "I guess they won't be able to meet here tomorrow," shouted Kingsley over the noise as the Aurors and Arthur braced themselves as pieces of wood and cement came flying and colliding with the barrier. When they opened their eyes, Arthur said, "Maybe this barrier isn't up just to keep us out, but to keep whatever's in there inside."

"We still have to get inside," said Kingsley. "What do you think it is?"

"I don't know," answered Arthur. He touched the barrier with his wand. The barrier jolted him back. The shaking had been going on for almost three minutes.

"We need to see what's going on in there," insisted Kingsley. "I'll send a team up to the roof and see if they can get inside through there."

"No," argued Arthur. "For the time being, we're safe. If anyone goes up there, they're not going to going to be able to get inside either way."

"So, what are we supposed to do? Just sit here and wait?"

Arthur could only nod. He looked at the barrier and saw it glimmering in the higher parts, closer to the lights. There was nothing anyone could do, but wait.

* * *

Percy closed his eyes and then opened them again. He flicked his wrist to show the wand in his hand. He stepped forward. "I am a member of the Game with gives me jurisdiction. I have the authority to arrest you for your crimes which include and are not limited to the following crimes: usage of the Unforgivable Curses, murder, torture, and kidnapping." His voice sounded oddly calm and serene, yet strong and capable.

"A servant of the Ministry?" scoffed Lestrange. "You truly are your father's son! I made you a good offer, Weasley. It's a pity you won't live long enough to regret it. _Crucio_"

Nothing happened. Percy kept stepping forward. Lestrange's face contorted as he spat, "That's impossible! You shouldn't be able to stand!"

"Your son died protecting me. Your magic won't work on me. This ends now. Release her."

Lestrange pulled back even further, gripping his captive tightly. "No. I won't let her go." Her body was between him and Percy.

"_ACCIO!" _roared Percy as he pointed the wand. The captive was hurled to him and he stopped her with his left arm to keep her from knocking him down. Percy gently set her on the ground behind him as Lestrange attempted to escape. "_Impedimenta!_"

"_Protego__!"_ Lestrange sneered and stood his ground. "Looks like me attempting an escape to move on to my backup plan isn't going to satisfy you, boy? You want a duel. I am one of the best duelist in England."

Percy stood in a battle stance that was standard for all magically duels. Of course he had trained in them, Alistair and Penelope were both his dueling partners in mock duels. He had been trained by an excellent teacher. He gestured with two fingers at Lestrange to proceed.

"_Expelliarmus_" shouted Lestrange.

Percy countered, "_Stupfy_"

"_REDUCTO!_"

They were too evenly matched. With Percy, his youth allowed him speed and agility, while Lestrange had experience on his side. The spells hit each other at the same time and seemed to bounce off each other. They also were deflected and flew into different directions. Neither man could hit the other. "One of us isn't going to live here alive, Weasley," threatened Lestrange.

"Then let's get on with it."

Lestrange smiled slightly as he flicked his wrist and his wand began to transform into a rapier. "Why don't we make this more interesting, then?" he asked. It was a spell that very few wizards knew how to cast because most of them were afraid that they couldn't transfigure their wands back to their original forms. It was a foolish thing to do if one was very inexperience. "I'm sure you learned how to do this spell."

Lucky for Percy, he had had practiced with it. He flicked his wrist and Alistair's wand transformed into a rapier. It wasn't the one that Percy always used before, but the one that Alistair would use.

Lestrange had rushed him and Percy had only managed to block it. They pulled apart again and Percy lunged forward with the sword and was blocked. It was fairly obvious that for someone who hated Muggles that Lestrange was fully trained in the art of swordplay. Percy didn't have as much experience.

The captive's eyes were opened watching them duel. She couldn't articulate anything. She knew something else that Percy didn't know. She wanted to shout for him to stay further away from Lestrange, but she couldn't. All she could do was watch.

Percy had managed to cut Lestrange's hand, while Lestrange's blade had come to his cheek. He was already cut and bleeding. It didn't make much of a difference. Their blades were locked again and Lestrange had pulled him close. He flicked his other wrist and stabbed Percy on the side. Pulling out the dagger, it was red with blood.

Percy pulled back his blade and stumbled back. He fell backwards as he fell he tossed his rapier upwards. Lestrange transfigured his wand back to its original form. "As much as I like the bloodiness of a good Muggle duel. I much more prefer the finesse of our way of doing things. Why don't you say something, Weasley? You're going to die this time. You should say something—" Something had stopped Lestrange mid sentence.

"Go to Hell," whispered Percy.

He had purposely threw the sword in the air and used what magic was left in the air to direct it at Lestrange's back as he was bent over Percy. He had barely time to move before Lestrange's body fell into a heap. Percy used his arms to get himself off the floor. He was bleeding, but it wasn't as deep as he first thought. He pried the wand from Lestrange's hand. He struggled over to the woman and saw that she was staring at him. He cast the spell to release her from the full body bind.

He checked her pulse to make sure there was nothing further was wrong. Percy was just about to leave her when she grabbed his wrist. He could feel the warmth from her hand and saw the relief in her eyes, but there was still a mark of fear in them. Gently, he placed his hand on top of hers and she loosened her grip. He looked away from her and towards where Alistair was laying. Immediately, she understood and gave a slight nod. Percy to his feet and pulled off the Auror uniform that he was wearing and draped it over her. After that, she closed her eyes and rested.

* * *

Outside the barrier, the Aurors held off the rest of the night's events and managed to keep everyone from knowing what was happening in the courtroom. When the barrier suddenly gave way, the Aurors were surprised. Kingsley gestured his fellow Aurors into position and they entered the hallway. Arthur didn't even wait for an all clear and proceeded after the last Auror. The door had been blasted from its hinges and they walked inside. Nothing could have prepared them for what they were about to see.

The entire courtroom had been destroyed. There were piles and bits of wood everywhere along with shards of broken glass. Cement from the ceiling along with the candleholders littered the floor. Kingsley immediately saw the Auror uniform and ran to it. He pulled it back and his eyes widened. "Tonks," he gasped. He looked up immediately and ordered, "Get a healer in here now! We've got an Auror down!"

"We've got a body here!" shouted another Auror. "Blimey, I think it's Rodolphus Lestrange." Arthur walked over and looked at the body. The Auror continued his observation, "It looks like someone stabbed him with a sword. It looks like it went straight through."

"Evil," murmured Tonks as Kingsley lifted her up in his arms. "He's evil."

"It's all right now. He can't hurt you or anyone else," whispered Kingsley soothingly. He didn't have to ask her what happened. He knew something had gone wrong. "It's over now."

One of the Aurors cast, "_Priori Incantatem._" The sword reverted into a wand. "It looks like someone cast the spell on the wand to change it into a sword. I've never seen that before." The Auror carefully extracted the wand from the body. It was coated in blood. He then said the incantation again, "_Priori Incantatem._ Merlin."

Arthur said, "Someone cast two of the Unforgivable Curses along with others." The bright green light was the indication of the Killing Curse. They looked around them. Kingsley was busy, bring Tonks to the stretcher that had arrived with the medical team. After laying her down gently and giving orders to the Healers, Kingsley turned his attention back to the others. Arthur continued, "That means that there could be more bodies laying around here."

"Go and start looking," ordered Kingsley. "I want this whole courtroom quartered off."

"I could have sworn that I heard Percy's voice earlier," whispered Arthur as he looked around. "What happened in here?"

Tonks murmured as the healers secured her, "He was here. He found me." Then, she passed out again.

Thus, the search through the rumble began. They only found Tonks and Lestrange as the only two victims in the courtroom. The wand was taken away as part of evidence in the investigation. The meetings were going to be moved to another section of the Ministry for the following day. However, despite hours of searching there was no sign of Percy.

In the end, Arthur and Kingsley returned 12 Grimmauld Place after seeing Tonks at St. Mungo's just after dawn. The Minister allowed Arthur to be excused from the proceedings. Dumbledore ordered an emergency meeting himself, as soon as he was able to get away from Hogwarts. It was not far off from Christmas and most of the members of the Order were surprised at the news. They had expected an attack launched by Voldemort, but nothing like this.

Kingsley, upon hearing from Tonks about Oliver Wood, went to go and find the Quidditch player. Thus, he missed the meeting. Oddly, one of the key members who was not in attendance for the meeting was Remus Lupin. The full moon was still a week away, but he had owled a message saying that he was ill. Yet Lupin was hardly missed in the meeting. Dumbledore himself preceded over the meeting. Arthur waited until other members left before discussing with Dumbledore and the rest of his family about the possibility of finding Percy.

It was one of those situations where there was nothing left to really do. Things happened quickly after that. Tonks was released from St. Mungo's and met with Oliver who wanted to know what had happened. Everyone wanted to know what had happened to Tonks, but she was reluctant to say anything about it. Somehow, it was kept out of the press, not even the _Quibbler _could break the story. Over the next few days, things settled down quietly.

Then word came a few days later, a formal death announcement was submitted to the Ministry for their official census count: Alistair Xavier. Other than that there was no more word. Things stood still for a week.

* * *

AN: I'm going on the theory that the Imperius Curse is only as strong as the wizard who casts it. And based on the level of what each of the Unforgivable Curses does, it would take a certain amount of power to break it or induce it. And since the Cruciatus Curse would be easier to cast if you force the person to do it under the Imperius Curse, but doing the Killing Curse under those circumstances wouldn't be the same.

I don't really like how this chapter ended, but that's pretty much it. The following chapter will be the last. Also, I just went to go see Star Wars Episode III three weeks after its opening, and I realized that the scene here resembles the duel between Yoda and the Emperor. It's all a coincidence that the fight took place in a court/assembly room. The beta reader can confirm it.

kirikarin. livejournal. com

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. This story belongs to me and cannot be posted anywhere else without my permission.


	17. Last Confessions

Deconstruction

Chapter Seventeen: Last Confessions

Kingsley was dressed in his finest Muggle style clothes. He wore a suit along with a fedora. He walked up to the hospital and asked to see Dr. White after flashing some official looking identification, claiming that he came from the Scotland Yard offices in London. Kingsley was admitted to seeing Dr. White who had returned to work after three days.

Dr. White offered him a cup of tea and a chair to sit on, which Kingsley accepted after taking off his hat. "It is good of you to see me, Dr. White."

"I am more than happy to answer a few questions for you. Things got a little crazy here," admitted Dr. White. "You see one of our doctors was murdered and someone had assumed his identity. I knew that someone would be coming to investigate."

"Yes, we found all sort of contraband materials in his desk," said Kingsley. That was why he had missed the last Order meeting. He had to go to the police station and clear up the situation with Oliver, and take all of the wizarding evidence. Kingsley did a memory wipe all of the people involved, except for Dr. White. It took careful looking to find out that she was the one who had been associating with an unknown patient who was tall and had red hair, blue eyes, and a slight build. "I was wondering if you had a patient who was a John Doe over the past couple of weeks."

"Yes, I did, but he was injured under the care of the imposter, so I'm afraid he had to be transferred out of this facility," she answered smoothly. "After that I think he was released. We don't keep people in hospitals forever unless we can avoid it."

"What I wanted to know was if he told you anything indicating if he knew about the imposter?"

Dr. White shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I made much of a difference. I took notes, but they aren't that helpful because he wasn't that forthcoming. I believe he was a victim of the system. Someone who was thrown into the system and never checked on. He never really told me anything and I can't release any other information that I have."

"I see," said Kingsley. He couldn't tell if she was lying or not, but Dr. White kept her eyes straight at him.

"I'm afraid that I wasn't much help to him. I didn't even get his name out of him," said Dr. White. "I wish I could offer more to help you." She leaned back in her chair. "I don't think that the imposter's sudden disappearance had anything to do with my patient." She looked like she was going to say something else, but her cell phone went off. "I'm sorry. It's a message for me to go out on the grounds. Are we done here?"

"Yes," said Kingsley. "Thank you for your time, Dr. White."

Dr. White and Kingsley got to their feet at the same time. She escorted him all the way to the entrance just before he went off, she said in a soft voice. "I hope wherever he is. He's at peace." He stared at her for a moment and with that she went inside. That was a strange thing to say. He walked up to the car and got inside.

It was one of the official cars of the Ministry and one of the official drivers. "Back to the Ministry. There's obviously nothing left here."

Hours later, Dr. White would dispose of all of the notes and paperwork. She burned it all in her fireplace. Despite, her reluctance, she burned the pieces of art that her patient had produced as well. The last piece of art that made it into the fire was the picture of the girl who resembled Ophelia from Shakespeare's _Hamlet._ She would never know the identity of the girl was. She remembered the last time she saw him.

_He was already dressed and ready to go. "It's not safe for us to be together any longer. This will be the last time you will see me," he told her truthfully. "I am sorry. I regret that we don't have much time. I wish we did."_

_Gwen searched his eyes and found that he was telling her the truth. "What will happen to you now? Where will you go?" Her hand touched his cheek. He placed his hand over hers. "Whatever you're walking into…you're not alone."_

_"I know that," he whispered. "Listen to me carefully, you have to go to someplace safe. I don't know exactly what's going on, but stay there until you get word from me that it's safe for you to go back."_

_Gwen nodded. She stood up higher on her toes and kissed him on the lips. It was a soft delicate one. His lips were surprisingly soft. "You're no longer patient. I didn't break any boundaries just now," she whispered. "You helped me a lot more than you realize. You've helped me understand something that I haven't been able to for the longest time."_

_He didn't ask what it was. Rather, he held her in an awkward embrace. "I can't have anyone else get hurt. Not when I can do something about it. Promise me, you'll wait for word from me. I swear that you'll get it." He released her from his embrace. He studied the look on her face for a moment and then concluded, "You don't plan on continuing do you?"_

_"No, I don't," she whispered. "As soon as this is over, I'm done. I think it's time for me to search for my own dreams. And to find out who I really am."_

_"Maybe, then we'd just be ourselves," he agreed. "Thank you for everything, Gwen."_

_"You're welcome." He pressed his lips against her forehead with that they separated._

Gwen watched the last piece of art turn into ashes. He was right, of course, maybe one day they could simply just be.

* * *

Oliver and Tonks met together at the rooftop of Oliver's flat. It seemed like the best place to have a meeting. He had been the one to invite her and was somewhat surprised that she had taken him up on his invitation. She had Apparated to the roof before he even got there. It was already winter with the snow just beginning to fall. 

She looked different with her hair up. "It's nice to hear that you got out of going to jail in the Muggle world," she said simply as a greeting. "I wish I could have done something for you, Oliver."

He walked up to her and was struck at just how beautiful she was. She was sad at the same time. The sadness showed the depth of her soul. He swallowed hard before he ventured to speak, "I'm more worried about you. There's no permanent damage done. Not to me. How are you really?"

"As well as could be expected," whispered Tonks. "I looked into the abyss and it smiled back. When I looked into Lestrange's eyes, there was nothing there. He had a soul, but it wasn't like it was depthless. Is it possible that he was born without a soul in the first place?"

Oliver said, "It sounds like something out of one of Percy's Muggle books. Some kind of Muggle philosophy. I mean the stuff about the abyss."

"Yes, it is," confirmed Tonks. "When I was growing up, I felt like that. I felt like I carried the stigma from my mother's family. I mean look at all of the horrific things that happened because of the Blacks."

"I'm afraid all of that stuff inside of me." She took a fearful glance at Oliver. "Look, what happened to Alistair. He was my cousin and look what happened."

Oliver placed his hand on her shoulder and said in a soothing voice, "That wasn't him. He fell victim to Lestrange. It wasn't because he was born into the family. No one is born to hate. One has to be taught how from a very early age. And from what you've said, in the end, he just couldn't hate anyone. He's like you. And sometimes those lessons just don't take for some very enlightened individuals like your mother."

"And Sirius," added Tonks. During their time together, she had told Oliver about Sirius Black. Oliver nodded. "But it's not that simple. I think that it's harder for someone like me to fight those impulses. Especially when you feel it inside you."

"But everyone has those impulses inside them. It's what happens to any individual that can force them in either direction," insisted Oliver.

Tonks glanced at him and nodded, "That's one of the things, I learned from all of this. I think that was when I started taking things so personally where Percy was involved. Someone had to help him. I felt like I had to be the one. Percy was looking into that abyss and someone had to pull him back. But in the end, he was the one who saved me."

She brushed something away from corner of her eye. Oliver wasn't sure if it was a tear or nothing at all, even though he was standing next to her. "You know Lestrange asked me why I was so concerned about Percy. He actually accused me of having feelings for him. I mean how could that be possible? During this entire time, I only met him once. I found him as I promised, but I didn't bring him home."

"You saw something in that you saw in yourself, Tonks," said Oliver. "That's what drove you in the end. You started to see all those good qualities in him that you have yourself. It's not a bad thing. If it had been someone else, Percy's disappearance would have never been really solved."

"It might have been fate," conceded Tonks, even though she was too much of a cynic to settle for something like fate. "Alistair was my cousin and I would have never known that had it not been for all of this. I was meant to dive into that part of myself. To face my own fears. I just hope that wherever Percy is that he's able to face his own."

Oliver and Tonks had told Dumbledore and the rest of the Weasleys, including Ron and Ginny who had come for the start of the holidays, what had happened. Percy's parents were faced with the reality that their son wasn't as strong as he had appeared and he was still vulnerable. The only proof that he was alive was Tonks' word which was verified by the Alistair's death notice in Percy's handwriting. He didn't even bother to try to cover it up or type it up.

After what had happened, Oliver was surprised to discover that an organization like the Order of the Phoenix existed and membership had been extended to him. At first, he was reluctant to accept it because it meant facing the Weasleys during the meetings, but in the end he accepted because Tonks was there. Oliver was uncomfortable with the gracious attention that Percy's parents gave him, especially Percy's mother. To them, he knew Percy best. That wasn't true. No one could really say they knew Percy best. At least not anymore. The only two people who did were dead.

"What happens now?" asked Oliver. "I mean what's the next thing."

"We go on," replied Tonks. "We don't have the time to grieve. There's a war going on. We mourn our dead and those loss to us and move on until we find the time to grieve. I don't know if Arthur and Molly will ever be complete. The void that Percy left behind is always going to be there."

"I don't know if he's dead or alive," Oliver paused, "but I'm sure that he's alive. He's just gone his own way. Like he always has. That's just the way he is."

"Then, we should accept it," said Tonks. "So, are you going to the next meeting?"

"Do I have a choice?" asked Oliver.

"No," answered Tonks with the closest thing to a smile to which Oliver returned with a real one.

* * *

"…ashes to ashes. Dust to dust. We return to the earth that we came from," concluded the priest as he made a blessing over the coffin. He closed the Bible and nodded at the sole person who came out to honor the dead. "Thank you," whispered the young man as the priest nodded again and placed his and on his shoulder as he walked off to get away from the cold. 

He stood alone for a moment and placed his hand on top of the casket and closed his eyes in silent prayer. When he opened his eyes again, he saw that there was a shadow casting over him. Without turning, he said, "I didn't think you'd come."

"You asked for me to come, Percy. So, I came," responded a familiar voice from behind him. "I was wondering how you got out of there."

"I used Lestrange's wand," said Percy softly. "I destroyed it after I made all the arrangements for Alistair's funeral."

"Then, I should return your wand to you, then." Percy turned around and saw his wand being held out to him. "Take it. It's yours, Percy."

"Thanks for keeping it safe, Remus," said Percy as he accepted it. "I didn't know where else to send it to. What happened after I left?"

Remus launched into a lengthy explanation without much interruption from Percy who listened with silent acknowledgement. His eyes never seem to leave the casket during that time. Remus finished with a summary of the latest Order meeting. "So, who was that girl that Lestrange had? Is she all right?" asked Percy.

"That would be Nymphadora Tonks," replied Remus. "She was the Auror was sent to find you after your father realized that something might have happened to you. Had I know what he was up to, I would have covered for you right away. But you know sometimes I'm just not available to help."

"I understand," said Percy. "At least I understand that."

Remus nodded. "I've taken measures to do deeper background on the current agents we have on network. We need to insure that this doesn't happen again. You saved the Ministry twice over now because we were able to keep the foreign leaders as well as the Minister safe. The talks are now successfully close to conclusion."

"That's good," whispered Percy. "Did you keep me out of the official reports as always?" Remus nodded. "Good."

"Percy, I know how hard this has all been for you. I wouldn't want to go on either after all of this," said Remus. "What I'm saying is that I know what it's like to be in the same place as you. About six months ago, I lost a good friend of mine. The last out of the best set of friends I ever had."

"I just don't understand," whispered Percy as he swallowed something hard. "I don't understand why I'm still alive. I know how Alistair managed to keep me alive, but I still don't understand. I should be the one who's dead." It was the first time that Percy had really shown any of the deep emotions that were running through him since the suicide attempt.

"I wish there was something more, I could tell you," said Remus softly. "When I recruited you three years ago, it wasn't your academics and your exemplar records for leadership. Those were only part of it. It was your compassion that makes you a good agent, Percy."

"Alistair was always so afraid, and I never understood why, but I learned in the end," said Percy. "He wasn't the one who killed Penny. He may have done the physical action, but that was all Lestrange's hate. I always thought that Alistair wasn't strong enough for this work, and when Lestrange was saying that he was weak, I never denied it. But you know what? He was the strongest one out of the three of us in the end. I wish I could just understand why I'm still alive." He looked desperately at Remus for the answer, hoping that there was a reason for it.

Remus shook his head. "I'm still trying to understand it myself. I'm a werewolf. By all accounts, I'm the one who doesn't deserve to be alive. Yet, I'm still here. That is why I think we're still here. The only thing we be is witnesses to those people. To be the people that lives on. Someone has to be left behind. It might as simple as that."

Percy straightened up and put the wand in his pocket. "So, when will my next assignment will be?" he asked. It wasn't a question of what. One in their line of work never asked what kind of mission to expect, only when the next one would be.

Remus betrayed a small look of shock that only flickered for a moment as he nodded. "I would have expected you to quit after all of this," he admitted after a small silence.

"I didn't make it this far to quit now," countered Percy almost sharply. "If I quit now, then it means none of this meant anything."

Remus decided to give a reply, "I don't know when, but in the mean time what would you like me to tell your parents and the rest of your family?"

Percy took a deep breath and sighed. He was looked rather sober because of the question. "Tell them—tell them that I'll be fine," he said. "Tell them that."

Remus nodded, "Very well. Have it your own way. I suppose it is for the best. At least until this war is over." The look on Percy face disagreed with his last statement. "It will be over, Percy. They always end and we continue as we always do. That is how the Game is played. Always."

"And there are parts of it that will always happen again and again for some of us. It will never be over for some of us," muttered Percy. "That is the way things are as well. Thank you for your time today, Remus. I think I've had my fill of death for right now."

Remus nodded and together they walked away from Alistair's casket and grave without so much a glance. They continued until they got to the outside gates that bordered between the world of the living and the dead. The gate was useless because death had no borders and went wherever it pleased. Life had the very same power, but death had a way of overtaking it in the end. There was a place in between. A very same sliver of limbo that some precariously lived on.

When they reached the gates, Percy nodded and without so much a word, walked off down the street. Remus continued to watch him and looked away for just an instant. He didn't watch as Percy gradually disappeared from view. When he looked back, Percy had seemingly vanished into thin air. Remus shrugged it off and turned and walked back towards the world of the living.

* * *

AN: Some last insight on the characters. Thus, concludes Deconstruction. It is meant to end like this. Not a happy, nor a sad ending. Just an ending. Percy's not dead nor is he alive. He just is. I meant for Remus to be a minor, yet important key player in all of this. Yes, he indeed was the one who recruited Percy on his last year of Hogwarts to join the Game. Meanwhile, it seemed only fitting that Oliver join up with the Order. A semi-simple ending for a hard to write story. 

There is no other story planned. If I get inspired by the next book, I might write something else. I'm too busy working on my own works now. I would like to thank my beta reader, sugar-sweetfairy, for all of her hard work on editing the story. And a big thank you to all the people who read and review this story. You people are the greatest.

kirikarin. livejournal. com

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. This story belongs to me and cannot be posted anywhere else without my permission.


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